The Privatization of Roads and Highways - Ludwig von Mises Institute

4 The Privatization of Roads and Highways
deaths, 3 surely the New York Times would wax eloquent about the
carnage, calling for the greatest manhunt this nation has ever
seen. If Dr. Spock were to learn of a disease that killed 2,077 children4
under the age of five each year, or were New York City’s
Andrew Stein to uncover a nursing home that allowed 7,346 elderly
people to die annually, 5 there would be no stone unturned in
their efforts to combat the enemy. To compound the horror, were
private enterprise responsible for this butchery, a cataclysmic
reaction would ensue: investigation panels would be appointed,
the justice department would seek out antitrust violations, company
executives would be jailed, and an outraged hue and cry for
nationalization would follow.
The reality, however, is that the government is responsible for
such slaughter—the toll taken on our nation’s roadways.
Whether at the local, state, regional, or national level, it is government
that builds, runs, manages, administers, repairs, and
plans for the roadway network. There is no need for the government
to take over; it is already fully in charge, and with a
vengeance. I believe there is a better way: the marketplace.
Explaining how a free market can serve to provide road and
highway service, as it has furnished us with practically every
other good and service at our disposal, is the objective of this
chapter.
Before dismissing the idea as impossible, consider the grisly
tale of government road management. Every year since 1925 has
seen the death of more than 20,000 people. Since 1929, the yearly
toll has never dropped below 30,000 per year. In 1962, motor
vehicle deaths first reached the 40,000 plateau and have not since
receded below that level. To give just a hint of the callous disregard
in which human life is held by the highway authorities, consider
the following statement about the early days of government
highway design and planning:
3Data for 1968, in ibid., p. 57.
4Data for 1969, in ibid., p. 60.
5 Data for 1969, in ibid.