April 25, 2024 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Despite Vision Zero Traffic Deaths in LA Are Soaring

2021 deadliest year in nearly two decades for pedestrians in LA

By Sam Catanzaro

In 2015, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti launched Vision Zero, intended to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. More than five years after the launch of this program, traffic deaths in the city are soaring, reaching their highest number in nearly 20 years. 

294 people were killed in traffic collisions in 2021, LA List recently reported on Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) data. Not only does this represent a 22 percent increase from 2020, but it is also the highest toll since 2003. Around half of those killed in these collisions were not in vehicles themselves, including 132 pedestrians and 18 cyclists. Furthermore, 1,479 traffic crashes resulting in severe injuries occurred on LA streets in 2021, a 30 percent increase from 2020. 

Traffic fatalities increased across the city in 2021, except for the LAPD Central bureau area, which includes downtown LA and Silverlake. 

Overall, since Garcetti launched Vision Zero, traffic deaths in Los Angeles have increased 58 percent. Since then, traffic deaths have jumped 58%. So how did this get this bad? 

Colin Sweeney, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), told LA List that one common factor is “a deadly combination of dramatic increases in speeding and reckless driving.” Between January 2020 and June 2021, 78 crashes involved a vehicle traveling at unsafe speeds. This is around the same number (80) of unsafe speed crashes occurring in a longer two-year period between 2018 and 2020. Likewise, between January 2020 and June 2021, 50 fatal crashes involved a motorist striking a fixed object, compared that 39 such collisions for all of 2018 and 2019 combined.

In addition, Sweeney cited to LA List “design trends that make cars deadlier than ever before for individuals outside of the vehicle, with heavier frames and the addition of distracting features.”

2021 data shows that while the number of crashes resulting in a death where the driver was under the influence remained the same, the number of DUI crashes resulting in serious injuries increased by 31 percent. 

According to Sweeny, since the launch of Vision Zero, LADOT has completed 5,500 safety improvements on the city’s High Injury Network. This is the 6 percent of city streets that account for 70 percent of deaths and severe injuries for pedestrians. But pedestrian activists say this is not enough and the city’s approach is not working. 

“The formula and the campaign that is being run by the city in terms of reducing traffic fatalities to zero is a failure,” Damian Kevitt, executive director of the nonprofit Streets are for Everyone told LA List. “The biggest factor is there’s not the political will to make the hard decisions to save lives.”

Reflective of this lack of political will is the lack of funding to address to issue. In 2017, LADOT director Seleta Reynolds estimated the department needed around $80 million to reduce traffic deaths by 20 percent by the end of that year. The City Council-approved budget, however for that year only gave LADOT $27 million in funding towards implementing Vision Zero. That year, traffic deaths dropped citywide by only five percent. And since, this number has decreased. The 2021-2022 City budget provides Vision Zero projects around $13.7 million, according to data from Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin

Mayor Garcetti’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Related Posts

(Video) Ariana Madix at LA Times Festival of Books Answers: Have You Thought About How This Will Affect Scheana?

April 25, 2024

April 25, 2024

The Vanderpump Rules and Broadway star answers questions about how she spends a day in her life. @ariana madix @latimes...

Lufthansa Boeing 747 First Attempt at Landing on Runway Fails at LAX

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Video Captures Bumpy Landing at Los Angeles International Airport A Lufthansa Airlines Boeing 747 encountered some difficulties during its landing...

Family Seeks Public’s Help in Finding Missing Man in Los Angeles

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

LAPD Detectives Investigating: Last Seen Near Del Rey Lagoon The family of Fazlollah Elahi, alongside detectives from the Los Angeles...

Caitlin Cronenberg’s Scintillating Debut Film Humane Is A Deadly Comedy of Terrors

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Director Caitlin Cronenberg and Star Emily Hampshire Discuss Making of the Film The new film Humane, the feature film debut...

Enroll at Camp Galileo for a Summer of Innovation, Friendship and Fun

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Camp Galileo is ready to enroll campers this summer at its five West Los Angeles locations.  Every week is a...

Luca Guadagnino’s New Film Challengers Serves Up a Sexy Tennis Drama

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Zendaya Stars in a Love Triangle for the Ages in this Must-See Film By Dolores Quintana Academy Award and BAFTA...

Caltrans District & Provides Update on Topanga Canyon Landslide Closure

April 23, 2024

April 23, 2024

Landslide More Serious than 1940s Slide, Involves Thousands of Rocks Caltrans District 7 has updated the situation related to the...

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Reveals Budget Proposal for Upcoming Year

April 23, 2024

April 23, 2024

Mayor Bass’s Plan Prioritizes Housing, Safety, and Accountability Mayor Karen Bass unveiled her proposed budget on Monday, outlining her vision...

Cher’s Former Beverly Hills Retreat Hits Market for Nearly $4.1 Million

April 23, 2024

April 23, 2024

Exquisite Artists Retreat Offers Privacy and Elegance A meticulously remodeled artist’s retreat in Beverly Hills, once owned by Cher, is...

Supreme Court Debates Legality of Ticketing Homeless Individuals, Hears Grants Pass Case

April 22, 2024

April 22, 2024

Landmark Case Raises Questions of Cruel and Unusual Punishment The Supreme Court engaged in a lengthy debate on Monday, lasting...

Taste of the Nation Returns to Culver City: Culinary Event Devoted to Fighting Childhood Hunger

April 22, 2024

April 22, 2024

Top Chefs and Tastemakers Join Together May 4th for No Kid Hungry’s Charity Event Taste of the Nation for No...

Extremist’s Arsenal: Felon’s Hate-Fueled Weapons Cache Leads to Federal Time

April 22, 2024

April 22, 2024

Man Was Part of a Hate Group, Posted Calls for Genocide and Racist Remarks Ryan Scott Bradford, a 35-year-old man...

(Video) Ariana Madix Confirms Something About Her Will Open Soon at LA Times Festival of Books

April 22, 2024

April 22, 2024

Ariana Madix answers the questions that fans want to ask at the Festival of Books as she appears to support...

Comedian Michelle Collins Brings her Big Natural Tour to LA

April 21, 2024

April 21, 2024

She’s funny, tall, glam and finally long-legging her way across these United States… it’s the Michelle Collins stand-up comedy tour...

Former CBS CEO Admits Role in Disclosure of Confidential Police Information

April 21, 2024

April 21, 2024

Leslie Moonves Fined for Aiding Misuse of Confidential Data in LAPD Complaint Former CBS CEO Leslie Moonves has acknowledged his...