Buttigieg points to how roads are 'designed and built' as the reason for racial disparities in road fatalities

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Pete Buttigieg working to bring more attention to racial disparities in road accidents

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told MSNBC host Al Sharpton that he will continue to address racial disparities in roadway accidents under his position.

"Racial disparities" continue to be a focus for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, according to a recent appearance on MSNBC’s "PoliticsNation" on Saturday.

MSNBC host Al Sharpton sat down with Buttigieg and questioned him about his dedication to addressing inequality regarding road fatalities.

"A lot of people don’t understand, even down to road fatalities, it is not equal," Sharpton said.

"It’s something that deserves more attention, which is why I’m working to bring more attention to it. We have a crisis when it comes to roadway fatalities in America. We lose about 40,000 people every year. It’s a level that is comparable to gun violence. And we see a lot of racial disparities. Black and Brown Americans, tribal citizens and rural residents are much more likely to lose their lives whether it’s in a car or as a pedestrian being hit by a car," Buttigieg said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared on MSNBCs "PoliticsNation" on Saturday. (MSNBC)

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He continued, "There are a lot of reasons related to discrimination and related to even the ways that roads are designed and built, who has access to a safe street design that has crosswalks and good lighting, who doesn’t have that access that can drive disparities, and we have a responsibility to act on that."

Buttigieg has previously highlighted discrimination within America’s infrastructure.

"What we’re doing is we are reconnecting people who may have been disconnected or divided by discriminatory decisions in the past," Buttigieg said in November 2021.. "That helps everybody. I don’t know why anybody would be against reconnecting people who have been divided by discriminatory decisions in the past."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tours the site of the Feb. 3, Norfolk Southern train derailment, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio.  ((Allie Vugrincic/The Vindicator via AP, Pool))

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Buttigieg’s appearance on MSNBC also followed more than two dozen Democrats signing a letter to call for reform to "racist traffic enforcement" in the nation’s roadways.

"On our nation’s roads and highways, Black motorists have experienced disproportionate scrutiny and excessive force under the guise of traffic enforcement," the letter read. "As Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), we urge you to condemn the status quo of traffic enforcement and develop reforms to reduce racial inequities in traffic stops."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has previously decried discrimination in America's infrastructure back in 2021. ((Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))

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The letter was signed by notable progressives Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Mass., Cori Bush, Mo., Jamaal Bowman, N.Y., and Ilhan Omar, Minn.

Fox News’ Jessica Chasmer contributed to this report.