Austin Left Turn Improvements Cut Serious Crashes by Half

A new Vision Zero report from the city of Austin’s Transportation and Public Works (TPW) department shows that changes to left-turn signal infrastructure at 100 intersections led to a 47 to 72 percent reduction in injuries and fatal crashes involving left turns, which make up over 12 percent of all serious non-freeway crashes in the city. Lina Fisher outlines the report’s findings in in the Austin Monitor.

The TPW report notes that “Of the 73 [intersections] that have collected at least three months of crash data, there has been a 72 percent decrease in injuries and fatalities when compared to the five years prior. That amounts to 37 fewer per year. Notably, all locations also saw decreases in other types of crashes, meaning protected left turns can reduce the overall riskiness of intersections, a ‘positive multiplier effect.’”

This May, a lane reduction on Barton Springs Road led to a 65 percent reduction in speeding, while fatal and serious injury crashes across the city are down by 22 percent.