Transport & mobility — United States · Synthesis

High road mortality. The number of road deaths stands at around 40,000 per year (NHTSA, ≈ 40,990 in 2023), of the order of 120 deaths per million inhabitants — two to four times more than in the other large rich countries. After a rise during the pandemic, the number eased slightly in 2023-2024 without returning to pre-pandemic levels.

A mobility dominated by the car. The United States is structurally dependent on the car: urban sprawl, low density, limited public transit outside a few major metropolitan areas. The share of trips by public transit is low at the national level, which weighs on emissions and on accessibility for households without a vehicle.

Transport, the leading emitting sector. Transport is the leading sector for greenhouse gas emissions in the country (see Environment category), dominated by road and aviation. The size of vehicles (SUVs, pickups) and the distances travelled explain a high carbon intensity per capita.

An electrification slower than in Europe. The share of electric vehicles in new sales is rising (≈ 8-9% in 2024) but remains lower than in Europe, despite the incentives of the Inflation Reduction Act. The roll-out of the charging network and vehicle range are obstacles, in a country of long distances.

Air and freight. The United States has the largest domestic air market in the world and a highly developed freight rail network, but a marginal passenger rail outside the Northeast Corridor. Ageing infrastructure is the subject of a federal investment plan (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 2021).

Road safety: getting out of high levels. The federal "Safe System" strategy aims to reduce road mortality that remains much higher than in comparable countries. The levers: speed, road design, safety of pedestrians and cyclists (whose share among victims is rising), and vehicle size.

Electrification of the fleet. The transition to electric vehicles, supported by the IRA and the reshoring of battery production, is a major undertaking but sensitive to political vagaries and to charging infrastructure. Its pace conditions the decarbonization of transport.

Investment in infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds the renovation of roads, bridges, public transit and charging points. The effectiveness and the timetable of these investments are tracked by the BTS and Congress.

Public transit and land planning. Reducing car dependence requires densifying and developing public transit, which runs up against the organization of the territory and local preferences. Progress is concentrated in a few major metropolitan areas.

The open questions. Three issues will shape the period: (1) reducing road mortality, among the highest of the rich countries; (2) accelerating the electrification of the fleet; (3) decarbonizing a mobility that is structurally dependent on the car.

Placed in their environment, the United States stands out for a mobility more dependent on the car and a road safety markedly worse than in the other large rich countries.

Three takeaways. (1) Road mortality: a major gap. At ≈ 120 deaths per million inhabitants, the United States does two to four times worse than the United Kingdom (≈ 26), Germany (≈ 33), France (≈ 50), Canada (≈ 50) and the EU average (≈ 46).

(2) Electrification: relatively behind. The share of electric vehicles in US new sales is lower than in Europe; the long distances and the organization of the territory make the transition more complex.

(3) A structural dependence. Urban sprawl and the weakness of public transit distinguish the United States from Europe and explain a higher per-capita transport carbon intensity — a planning legacy hard to reverse quickly.