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.

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.

Full story here: https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/entry/data-driven-analytics-are-at-the-heart-of-vision-zero-goals