For better — or more often, for worse — a single federal document dictates what nearly every American street looks like. Meet the MUTCD.

While all levels of government bear responsibility, the crisis stems in no small part from the federal standards used to build unsafe streets. The MUTCD prioritizes moving private vehicles at maximum efficiency and speed above all other goals, including safety, sustainability, and access for people walking, biking, in a wheelchair, or on a bus.

The new edition makes important steps toward a safer, more people-focused transportation system but fails to include many necessary reforms that would create comprehensively safe streets.