> Add to that how America sets up situations very unsafe street crossings, often 8 lanes wide without a median
I don't think I've ever crossed an 8 line highway on foot (US native). I definitely wouldn't call it "often". Maybe in a place like LA or Houston? I do cross 4 lanes pretty frequently, though.
Arterial roads, such as those lined with big box stores and shopping plazas, are commonly 3 lanes in each direction at 40mph speed limits (which means cars are driven at 45mph+), plus turning lanes.
Your best case scenario is the crossing being ~56ft, but 70ft+ crossings are normal for busy intersections. Which are ones you would also want to walk across.
Even a two lane in each direction road will commonly have a turning lane or two, making the intersection a 5 to 6 lane wide crossing.
It also threw me off when walking as I could see I'd have to go a couple of blocks but every road crossing took a few minutes. Invariably I'd have to wait at least one light cycle, perhaps 2 if I was crossing both angles. And those light cycles were long.
The worst part was that it was rare to see much vehicular traffic at all except during some key times. What a waste of space.
I had to walk down one of these roads in Denver, let me see if I can find it.
W Alameda Avenue. 7+ lane for a lot of its length. Super sad walk.
It's unsurprising when you think about it: America is full of larger trucks which have to meet o on the laxest of regulations to minimize pedestrian damage in case of a collision. Where before the contact zone might be on the knees, many a modern truck will hit a pedestrian in the chest. Add to that how America sets up situations very unsafe street crossings, often 8 lanes wide without a median, and increased pedestrian deaths are unsurprising.
Note that this is a matter of most security freatures: Good crumple zones don't lead to tall trucks with large hoods. The only one that adds risk is the curtain airbags that have lead to wider A pillars, and with that somewhat lower visibility. But we could make cars safe and also safer for pedestrians: Just not by driving heavier, taller vehicles that look like 18 wheelers and have frontal dead zones that could hide multiple Miatas.