Data-Driven Analytics at the Heart of Vision Zero Goals

We’ve all read the alarming headlines: Driving kills more people in the U.S. than handguns. We’ve also likely witnessed cars weaving in and out of traffic, speeding by us like we’re standing still.

Even more distressing are the statistics. Preliminary data compiled by the National Safety Council show that 42,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2020, an increase of 24% over the previous year. Pedestrian fatality rates, meanwhile, jumped 21% — the highest increase since 1975 – despite the fact that vehicle miles traveled dropped 13% due to the pandemic. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a pedestrian is killed every two hours and injured every seven minutes somewhere in the U.S.

To counter this untenable state of affairs, an increasing number of communities nationwide are turning to a Vision Zero strategy, one that aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.

While many of the tactics that comprise Vision Zero are well known – from decreasing the legal speed limit to installing traffic calming measures (speed bumps, roundabouts, etc.) to improving roadway lighting and pedestrian crossings – the technological advances and data-driven analytics at the heart of those tactics’ effectiveness are often overlooked.