Our roads are great for cars. Pedestrians? Not so much

PLUS: Uber's terrible tipping rates, Tesla's new Chinese factory, and some shiny electric vehicles. View this email in your browser  10.29.19 If you're a pedestrian—and who isn't?—WIRED Transportation's missives are decidedly grim. If you're riding in a car, American roads are only getting safer. According to figures from the US Department of Transportation released last week, vehicle-related deaths fell by 2.4 percent last year. But 6,677 pedestrians died in 2018, a 3.4 percent increase from 2017. What's to blame? Potential factors include a tick up in distracted driving, more gigantic SUVs and trucks on the road, and streets that are more designed to get traffic moving swiftly than people moving safely. On the last point: Some engineers are trying to build more fun, friendly, and maybe even safer crosswalks, but the federal government—the same one that put out those safety stats!—is not yet convinced that kind of street design works. At least one Iowa town is going ahead with a rainbow crosswalk anyway. Also: We drove the Volvo's performance brand's new electric vehicle, and Tesla drove a pretty nice third quarter, with a real profit. Let's get you caught up.   Headlines Stories you might have missed from WIRED A study of Uber tipping data suggests people aren't great about tipping service workers on apps. Why federal engineers have a big problem with rainbow crosswalks. Federal data shows that American roads are getting safer—unless you're walking. Tesla built a Chinese factory in 168 working days! Here's why the company's plans in the country may prove existential. A ride through western Sweden in Polestar's first EV, which our reporter calls a "useful, family-friendly sedan." Why drone companies would love to fly your prescriptions to you.   Drivers of the Week   Courtesy of the University of Richmond The bestest motorist of the week award goes to the 17 rats who participated in a University of Richmond study published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research. Researchers taught the rats how to operate copper car steering wheels built into plastic food containers on wheels. Is it adorable? Certainly yes. Does it make larger points about the elasticity of animal brains, and what happens when minds are challenged with increasingly complex tasks? Maybe yes!   Stat of the Week $75 million The price of the world's biggest private jet, the new Gulfstream G700. The aircraft features five living areas, a six-seat dining area, a 10-foot galley, and—because you have to nap after that six-person dinner—a full master bedroom suite with a shower.   Required Reading News from elsewhere on the internet Indonesian investigators release their final report on the crash of Lion Air 610, which killed 189 people last year. They blame, in part, design oversights by Boeing as it built the 737-MAX, which is still grounded the world over. Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposes the federal government spend $454 billion over the next 10 years to convince Americans to buy electric vehicles. Bollinger Motors had said its all-electric pickup truck would cost less than $100,000. Turns out it's $125,000. It's cool, though! Tokyo announces it will have (limited) self-driving vehicles on roads by the summer Olympics. Elon Musk says he believes the company's energy and solar businesses will one day be bigger than its automotive division. Hop aboard Jaguar's newest electric hypercar—but only if you're playing Gran Turismo Sport on a PlayStation 4. Apple might help pay to upgrade United Airlines' San Francisco terminal. Someone! Please fix this!   In the Rearview Essential stories from WIRED's canon Here's how to design the perfect street intersection. As Pedestrian Deaths Spike, Feds Take on Fanciful Crosswalks The federal government wants an Iowa city to revert a crosswalk celebrating the LGBTQ community to the standard zebra design. It's a growing pattern. Your Secret Uber Tipping Behavior, Exposed A study of 40 million trips finds that men tip more than women, that women drivers get bigger tips, and that riders tip more on repeat rides with a driver. American Roads Are Getting Safer—Unless You're Walking A government report finds that vehicle-related deaths fell 2.4% last year. But pedestrian deaths are up 50% in the past decade, and no one knows why. Tesla Turns a Profit—and Builds a Chinese Factory Very Fast The Shanghai Gigafactory, which Tesla says can produce 150,000 Model 3 sedans a year, was completed in 168 working days.  Polestar's First EV Is a Track-Happy Challenge to Tesla's Model 3 With its first fully electric car, Polestar delivers a fully evolved sedan engineered for economy and more than enough performance. Drugstores Are in the Sweet Spot for Drone Deliveries UPS has a deal with CVS, and Google sibling Wing is making deliveries for Walgreens in Virginia. GET WIRED Get 1 year of WIRED access for just $10.   When information is cheap, context is more valuable than ever.   Subscribe now     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions