The cumulative death toll of global cultures of automobility

In the early 20th century, car crashes were an aberration fought against by city dwellers, safety advocates, and especially parents of children killed by drivers (Norton 2008). In the century since, crashes have been socially constructed as natural, accidental, or unavoidable events. This paper discusses recently compiled historical data on car crash deaths and the cumulative death toll from 125 years of crashes, air pollution, and other forms of harm caused by (and required by) cultures of automobility. At least 60 to 80 million deaths are attributable to automobility—a figure approximately equal to the total combined deaths from both World Wars. The slow-moving catastrophe of automobility (Culver 2018) and the risk of crashing have not, as of yet, significantly slowed the proliferation of automobile dependency to previously car-free or car-light places. There are now approximately 1.3 billion cars in use and 1 out of every 34 deaths is caused by automobility. Will the car-based status quo continue or will political cultures such as environmentalism or awareness of social injustices intervene to push cities toward safer, healthier, and more just cultures of mobility?