A significant rise in pedestrian deaths across America has created a public safety crisis, with new data showing pedestrian fatalities have increased 48% since 2014.

According to a new study by Bader Law, this alarming trend is driven by two primary factors: an increasing number of speeding vehicles and the growing popularity of larger vehicles with dangerous high front-end designs.

Despite a slight decrease from 2023, drivers still killed 3,304 pedestrians during the first half of 2024 — more than 1,000 additional deaths compared to the same period in 2014.

Speed and Size Create a Deadly Mix

The research reveals how vehicle speed dramatically increases the risk to pedestrians:

• At 24 km/h, pedestrians face a 10% chance of serious injury.
• At 35 km/h, that risk jumps to 50% for moderate-to-fatal injuries.
• At 68 km/h, there is a 50% likelihood of death upon impact.

Vehicle size further compounds this danger. SUVs and pickup trucks are up to three times more likely to kill pedestrians than smaller passenger vehicles. This is primarily because their high hoods strike the torso, above the center of gravity, often throwing victims forward into the path of the vehicle.

This issue is magnified by the rapid growth in large vehicle sales: by 2022, SUVs, vans, and pickups accounted for 79% of new vehicle sales in the U.S., up from just 50% a decade earlier.

States with the Highest Pedestrian Death Rates

Several states stand out for having exceptionally high pedestrian fatality rates (per 100,000 residents):

• New Mexico – 2.07
• Mississippi – 1.94
• Nevada – 1.90
• District of Columbia – 1.85
• Arizona – 1.74
• Florida & Louisiana – 1.57
• South Carolina – 1.44
• Alabama – 1.32
• Delaware & North Carolina – 1.24

States with major year-over-year increases from 2023 to 2024 include:

• Nebraska – +150%
• Connecticut – +56.5%
• Missouri – +46.1%

States with the Lowest Pedestrian Death Rates

Conversely, these states recorded the lowest fatality rates:

• Montana – 0.18
• Idaho – 0.20
• New Hampshire – 0.21
• North Dakota – 0.25
• Rhode Island – 0.27
• Maine & Minnesota – 0.28
• South Dakota – 0.32
• Utah – 0.37
• West Virginia – 0.40
• Vermont & Iowa – 0.46

Some of these states also saw major year-over-year improvements in 2024:

• Montana – down 71.4%
• New Hampshire – down 66.7%
• Idaho – down 55.6%

Solutions to the Pedestrian Safety Crisis

Experts point to a number of safety interventions to curb fatalities:

• Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB): Reduces crashes by 27% and serious injuries by up to 87% by automatically braking when a collision is imminent.
• Lower speed limits in pedestrian-heavy zones.
• Traffic calming measures like speed humps, curb extensions, and raised crosswalks.

“Every day, 18 people don’t return home after taking a walk. That’s unacceptable,” said Jonathan Adkins, CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The Urgent Need for Change

The study underscores that larger vehicles traveling at high speeds present the greatest threat to pedestrians. While the national pedestrian fatality rate now stands at 0.97 deaths per 100,000, it remains substantially higher than a decade ago.

In 2022, speeding was involved in 29% of all traffic deaths, contributing to 12,151 fatalities an average of 33 people per day.

Without decisive action on vehicle design, speed control, and urban infrastructure, the crisis on American roads will persist and more lives will be lost unnecessarily.

Remote work won the office debate, but as companies adjust to the new normal, three hybrid work questions seem to leave managers at bay. Through my experience with over 12 organizations, chaos is a common situation. So, let’s try to solve these challenges one at a time.

Separate the Border: Remote vs. Those At Office

The Proximity Bias Problem

During my consultation with a tech startup last year, their remote staff felt like no one was paying attention to them. The company’s leadership heavily interacted with the office staff over coffee breaks and hallway gossip. Solutions that actually work:

• Set “everyone works virtually” days weekly and employ “no-meeting Wednesdays” with no assigned meetings.
• Enforce remote work using standardized performance metrics. Observation is not a metric.
• Allow teams to rotate face time/office days.

Controlio software is an example of tech that helps remote workers. It enables managers to uniformly assess their productivity and performance with objective data, using monitoring software for employees.

Articles of the Layers of a Hybrid Workforce

Which Technology Will Best Support Your Hybrid Work Model?

Every virtual office comes with three essentials. Using ineffective tools will lead to stress. The right tools, however, make the hybrid work system flow:

A Communication Center

• Slack as the chat
• Zoom for meetings with etiquette training on the use of “virtual background” features.

A Space for Collaboration

• Usage of Miro as a digital whiteboard
• Documentation done on Notion

Productivity Monitoring

• Finding the right software, like Controlio software, which helps monitor productivity without micromanaging or infringing on freedoms.

Pro Tip: From offering resources, the best tools are those that can adapt and sync with one another, offering many functions such as reduction of app overload.

How Do We Preserve Company Culture in a Hybrid World?

Culture is Often Misconstrued As Just The Available Recreational Facilities

One time a client raised his complaint, wanting to know why their culture was dying—then we discovered they were trying to recreate 2019 office life in 2025. Modern culture fixes:

• Virtual co-working sessions, which are silent work on desktop video
• Purposeful quarterly all-hands in-person retreats (not silos)
• “Culture champions” who design and execute remote-friendly activities.

My Favorite: One organization engaged with employees and saw engagement scores increase by 35% after replacing mandatory company-wide happy hours celebrating the end of the week with optional “skill share” sessions where people could share their skills like Excel or sourdough baking.

Bonus: The Hybrid Work Policy Every Company Needs

Analyzing countless policies, here are the checklist items that stood out for exceptional policies:

• Defined core hours versus flexible hours
• Stipends for home office furniture and equipment
• Rules about inclusivity regarding meeting recordings
• Use of monitoring software transparency

Example: Marketing companies track productivity via Controlio software and leverage the patterns to enhance workflows rather than penalize workers.

The Future of Hybrid Work

What to expect in the future:

• Selling or renting desk space on a flexible monthly basis.
• AI assistants that schedule the best in-house attendance days for given projects.
• “Office seasons” where teams physically sync presence quarterly for intensive work sprints.
• Greater emphasis on outcomes rather than hours spent “working.”

My prediction: Companies treating hybrid work as an opportunity rather than a compromise will benefit the most.

Positioning Towards: Making Hybrid Work… Work

It’s not all perfect, but it is here, so the hybrid approach has been adopted widely. Investments in proper resources alongside an equity-focused culture, tools, and restructuring enhance the possibilities of thriving diverse workforces.

Next Steps:

1. Check for fairness gaps in your existing hybrid policy
2. Review the resources available to upgrade your tech stack
3. Set up a meeting with the team focused on culture needs

What part of a hybrid work environment do you struggle with the most? I’m looking forward to reading each and every one of your comments!

P.S. To begin formulating a hybrid work policy, check out my free template [here].

In any business, customer complaints are inevitable. No matter how polished your product, how attentive your staff, or how seamless your systems, something will eventually fall through the cracks. While many companies treat complaints as minor annoyances or public relations nightmares, seasoned entrepreneur Ralph Caruso sees them differently.

For Caruso, complaints aren’t a sign of failure—they’re opportunities to learn, improve, and build stronger relationships. With decades of entrepreneurial success under his belt, Ralph Caruso has transformed negative customer feedback into growth strategies, using complaints as tools to shape better products, enhance loyalty, and sharpen his team’s performance.

In this post, we’ll explore Ralph Caruso’s approach to solving customer complaints and how business leaders can apply his strategies to turn problems into progress.

1. Listen Like You Mean It

One of Ralph Caruso’s foundational beliefs is that most complaints stem not just from a poor experience—but from the feeling that no one is listening. His businesses have implemented a core philosophy: “Active listening first, resolution second.”

Customers don’t want to hear excuses. They want to feel heard. Caruso trains his teams to listen without interrupting, ask clarifying questions, and repeat back what they’ve heard to ensure understanding. By validating the customer’s frustration, businesses can diffuse tension before moving into solution mode.

“You can’t fix what you don’t understand,” Caruso says. “If a customer has to repeat themselves three times, you’ve already failed at service.”

2. Empower Frontline Staff to Act

In many organizations, resolving a complaint involves passing it up the ladder—leading to delays, miscommunication, and even more frustration. Ralph Caruso believes that frontline staff should be trained and empowered to resolve most issues on the spot.

This means giving employees guidelines, not scripts. Caruso equips his team with the authority to offer discounts, refunds, or alternative solutions without needing multiple approvals. The result? Faster resolution, happier customers, and a staff that feels trusted and capable.

“Micromanagement kills service. Train your people well, then trust them to do what’s right,” says Caruso.

3. Track Complaints Like Gold

Too many businesses log complaints but fail to analyze trends. Ralph Caruso treats complaint data as strategic gold. By collecting details—what went wrong, when, how often, and which teams were involved—he’s able to identify systemic issues and preempt future problems.

From missed delivery windows to unclear policies, Caruso has used complaint data to overhaul operational bottlenecks and refine employee training.

“Every complaint is a free consultation on how to improve your business,” Caruso notes. “Don’t waste it.”

4. Follow Up and Close the Loop

One of the most overlooked parts of complaint resolution is the follow-up. Ralph Caruso insists on a system where every complaint gets a personal check-in after it’s resolved. A quick phone call or email asking, “How did we do?” can turn a disgruntled customer into a loyal advocate.

Caruso has seen firsthand how thoughtful follow-up increases customer retention and satisfaction scores. It also gives customers a chance to feel like their feedback made a difference.

5. Make It Part of Your Culture

At the heart of Ralph Caruso’s philosophy is the belief that complaint handling isn’t a customer service issue—it’s a cultural one. Everyone, from the CEO to the cleaning crew, should view feedback as a gift.

In his ventures, Caruso hosts monthly “Complaint Spotlights” where teams review major complaints and how they were resolved. It’s a transparent, non-punitive environment that encourages accountability and growth.

“Great companies don’t hide from complaints. They chase them down and fix them fast,” says Caruso.

Final Thoughts

Solving customer complaints effectively isn’t about damage control—it’s about opportunity. As Ralph Caruso has proven time and time again, the way a company handles its worst moments often defines its brand more than how it handles its best.

By listening actively, empowering employees, tracking data, following up, and building a feedback-positive culture, businesses can turn even their harshest critics into loyal fans.

Ralph Caruso’s customer-first approach is a masterclass in resilience, adaptability, and leadership—qualities every entrepreneur should embrace if they want to thrive in a feedback-driven world.