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Vision Zero and the Safe System Approach

Vision Zero says no one should die or be seriously hurt on our streets, and that road design should forgive human mistakes.

This page is a draft. Every fact links to its source, so you can check it yourself.

The idea

Vision Zero starts from one belief: traffic deaths and serious injuries are not "accidents." They can be prevented. The City of Sacramento says these are "preventable incidents that can and must be systematically addressed." (City of Sacramento)

The Safe System Approach is how Vision Zero gets done. People will make mistakes, so streets should be designed so that a mistake does not cost a life. The biggest lever is speed: at 20 mph, a person hit by a car has a 5% chance of being killed or seriously hurt; at 30 mph it is 45%. (FHWA)

Where Sacramento-area agencies stand

City of Sacramento

• On January 19, 2017, the City Council set a goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2027.
• In 2018 it adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan that names a "high injury network" of the most dangerous streets and lists over 40 actions.
• In 2025 the City started updating the plan. A final draft was described as expected later this year.

(City of Sacramento, Vision Zero)

Sacramento County (unincorporated areas)

• The 2022 Local Road Safety Plan sets goals to cut fatal and severe pedestrian crashes and fatal and severe bike crashes by 50% by 2035, compared with 2015-2019. (Sacramento County LRSP)

All California cities and counties

• When they make a major update to the transportation part of their general plan on or after January 1, 2025, they must include Safe System Approach policies aimed at eliminating fatal and serious injuries. (Government Code 65302)

How are we doing?

• In 2024, 49 people died in traffic in the City of Sacramento. 18 of them were walking. (NHTSA)
• Sacramento had the second-highest bicyclist death rate among US cities over 500,000 people in 2024. (NHTSA)
• The Sacramento metro area's pedestrian death rate was 3.21 per 100,000 people a year in 2020-2024. Deaths rose from 284 in 2015-2019 to 389 in 2020-2024. (Smart Growth America)
• Sacramento County ranked 4th worst of 58 counties for bike crash victims and 7th worst for pedestrian crash victims in 2023. (California Office of Traffic Safety)

With the City's 2027 deadline about a year away, these numbers are far from zero.

Use it in your letter

Vision Zero and safety plans are promises agencies made in public. Quote them back:

• "The City committed in 2017 to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2027. [Road] is on the high injury network. What is the plan and date to fix it?"
• "The County's Local Road Safety Plan aims to cut fatal and severe pedestrian crashes 50% by 2035. This street had [number] in the last [years]. Please add it to the project list."

Federal SS4A grants also require a safety action plan, so these plans can unlock money. See Funding.

Last checked 2026-11-02.

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