US News
Experts say USDOT policy changes could raise US road death risks
The Guardian reports that experts quoted in its feature say Sean Duffy's safety-related changes could raise road risks, while USDOT disputes that view.
The short version
- USDOT removed five suggestions, including bike lanes and road diets, from an FHWA safety countermeasures list.[The Guardian]
- Duffy signed orders ending policies officials called 'woke' and diverted $1.73bn in grants away from DEI projects.[The Guardian]
- A new rule bars truck drivers without US citizenship or permanent residency from getting or renewing CDLs, with officials citing 17 fatal crashes in 2025.[The Guardian]
- Critics dispute the safety rationale, and the department's record-low death claim conflicts with its own historical data.[The Guardian]
Key facts
- USDOT removed five suggestions, including bike lanes and road diets, from an FHWA list of proven safety countermeasures.[The Guardian]
- Duffy signed orders last year ending policies officials called 'woke' and posted in July about diverting $1.73bn in grants.[The Guardian]
- A USDOT rule disqualifies truck drivers without US citizenship or permanent residency from getting or renewing commercial driver's licenses.[The Guardian]
- Officials cited 17 fatal crashes in 2025 involving non-domiciled CDL holders, which they said caused 30 deaths.[The Guardian]
- USDOT estimated that 36,640 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2025.[The Guardian]
- Federal data gathered by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety from USDOT show pedestrian killings rose 72% from 2009 to 2024 and cyclist deaths rose 73% from 2010 to 2024.[The Guardian]
- The UN General Assembly adopted a declaration on road deaths by a 162-1 vote, with the US the lone opposition.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Department officials defend the changes, while experts and the AFL-CIO dispute the safety rationale; the AFL-CIO says excluded drivers had lower fatal crash rates.[The Guardian]
- The department says traffic deaths fell to record lows in 2025, but the article says its own historical data contradicts that.[The Guardian]
- FHWA says the Highway Safety Information System site was down for a few months during guidebook updates and remains available on request, while the article says it is still missing.[The Guardian]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.