What it takes to make cars safer

Every year, motor vehicle crashes claim more than a million lives around the world — which in part is a reflection of the way automobiles are designed. Hidden behind that stark statistic is a success story: Vehicle safety has dramatically improved in emerging markets like India, Latin America and Africa as international crash standards evolved.

But the path to making cars safer hasn't been easy, according to David Ward, who spent three decades helping establish crash test programs across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In a conversation with contributor David Zipper, he talks about the resistance from auto industries, and about America's declining leadership in global vehicle safety discussions. Today on CityLab: The Global Struggle to Build Safer Cars

— Rthvika Suvarna

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