The Business Case for Dead Pedestrians

Key Findings

• 1.The Light Truck Loophole: $293 Billion in Blood Money: Automakers spent $183 million lobbying Congress to classify SUVs as "light trucks"—dodging safety and fuel regulations meant for sedans. The result: $293 billion in profit from 2019-2023, a 160,000% ROI. While Europe's UN Regulation 127 requires hoods under 30 inches to "scoop" pedestrians, the Ford Bronco's 40-inch vertical grill strikes adults in the chest and children in the head, pushing them under the wheels.
• 2.Stroads: The Drag Strip With a Starbucks in the Middle: American cities build "stroads"—hybrids of streets and roads with 12-foot lanes (interstate width) and 65mph traffic, but lined with pedestrians and storefronts. McDonald's and Starbucks require 25,000-30,000 cars per day before banks will fund construction. Cities widen roads and raise speed limits to hit that threshold, turning commercial frontage into a graveyard.
• 3.Federal Policy: Safety Measures Are "Hostile to Motor Vehicles": In September 2025, the Department of Transportation revoked $1.2 million in safety funding for San Diego's Campo Road bike lanes, calling the project "hostile to motor vehicles" and "counter to DOT's priority of preserving roadway capacity." Federal policy explicitly prioritizes vehicle speed over human life. America kills 19 pedestrians every day—then clears the wreckage to preserve the commute.
• 4.Manhattan Beach's Cost-Benefit Analysis: 10 Minutes > A Life: After a teenager's death on Vista Del Mar in 2015, LA added bike lanes and crosswalks. Wealthy Manhattan Beach residents calculated that if 10,000 commuters were delayed 10 minutes daily at their $200,000/year salary rate, the "economic loss" would exceed the $9.5 million wrongful death settlement in months. They threatened to sue for the same amount, arguing their time was more valuable than the city's liability. The city removed the safety measures.