That’s what makes the data-driven approach to saving lives so problematic, says Charles T. Brown, a senior researcher and professor at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers, who wrote the book’s foreward and served as Schmitt’s technical adviser. “What is revered or put forth as a best practice or as evidence-based is really just a reflection of the priorities and needs of the dominant society — white America — because the voices, opinions, and lived experiences of racialized minorities are not captured or considered in most planning and research projects,” he told Curbed. “Then we wonder why traffic violence is so rampant in minority communities — it is because those most victimized by traffic violence are excluded from the transportation decision-making processes. Quite frankly, the people closest to the pain should have the most power.”
Meet the 2026 New Jersey Leadership Collective Fellows
New Jersey Leadership Collective’s mission is to train leaders who are committed to moving the communities they serve and the Garden State forward. They aim to make progressive change to legislation and policies through building collective power and taking collective...