Pittsburgh Cuts Crash Deaths by 32% in One Year

The city’s Vision Zero effort hasn’t quite reached its goal of eliminating traffic deaths, but it has made impressive strides in improving road safety in its first year.

1 minute read

October 23, 2025, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Pedestrians in a crosswalk in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock

At a Vision Zero summit last week, Pittsburgh leaders highlighted the city’s success in reducing traffic deaths in the year since it implemented a Vision Zero policy, reports Colin Williams in City Paper.

The city still had 21 traffic deaths in 2024, but that number is 32 percent lower than its 20-year average. “The summit offered more granular insights into how Pittsburgh has accomplished this, showcasing projects that ranged from AI-assisted mapping of bike routes to the city’s nationally recognized efforts to install speed humps and bike lanes.”

Local street safety advocates and leaders outlined other ways Pittsburgh can make its roads safer and reduce resistance to actions like removing parking or traffic lanes in favor of pedestrian infrastructure and landscaping. “Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said educating the public would be a key part of continuing DOMI’s work. The department will face budget constraints and lingering skepticism from some corners when Gainey’s probable successor Corey O’Connor takes over next year.”

Friday, October 17, 2025 in Pittsburgh CityPaper

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