Let’s make our streets safe!
Whether driving, walking, or biking, there’s lots we can do to be safer on the road.
Vision Zero is a national effort to eliminate traffic deaths on our roadways. No one should have to endure having a family member, friend, or neighbor killed or severely injured on our streets. VTA’s commitment to Vision Zero means improving conditions for people driving, walking, and biking through engineering, enforcement, education and policy change. Traffic deaths are preventable.
Some sobering statistics:
- A car driving 40 MPH takes 140 feet to stop—about half a city block.
- Someone hit by a car going 40 MPH has a 90% chance of dying.
- Last year 529 people were killed or seriously injured by a car in Santa Clara County.
- 20% of these crashes involved pedestrians and 13% of them involved bicyclists
Santa Clara County drivers agree—safe speeds save lives!
In a recent survey, 75% of Santa Clara County resident respondents agree that it would be safer to walk or bike in their neighborhood if people drove more slowly.
What can we do?
Whether driving, walking, or biking, there’s lots we can do to be safer on the road. Together, we can make our streets safe for everyone.
Drivers
- Slow down.
- Watch for pedestrians and bicyclists.
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Speeding kills! Slow down, stay alert, and share the road.
Pedestrians
- Cross with care.
- Use intersections and designated crosswalks and make eye contact with drivers before you step into the street.
- Crossing in the middle of the block is dangerous—use the intersection instead!
Bicyclists
- Ride smart.
- Follow traffic laws and bike defensively around cars and trucks.
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VTA sponsors FREE bike classes! Sign up today.
How is my community working to make our streets safer?
Cities across Santa Clara County are building safer roads, studying crashes to identify solutions, launching safety campaigns, and increasing enforcement to make streets safer for you. Link to your community to find more:
Vision Zero San José: In 2015, San José became the fourth major US city to adopt a Vision Zero goal of ending traffic fatalities. The top known cause of fatal and severe injury traffic crashes in the city is speeding. San José is delivering traffic-calming projects all over town and asking drivers to "Slow Down, San José."
VTA funds local roadway safety projects throughout the county. The two biggest funds are 2016 Measure B and One Bay Area Grant. In 2022, VTA collaborated with local cities to develop a Local Roads Safety Plan. The plan identifies and prioritizes local road safety improvements.
Santa Clara County Public Health Department's Healthy Cities Program recognizes that safe streets are essential for healthy communities. They provide a list of model policies and resources to ensure streets are safe places for people of all ages and abilities.
Cupertino Local Roadway Safety Plan identifies traffic safety improvements throughout the City for all modes of transportation and for all ages and abilities for the purpose of reducing fatal and severe injury collisions.
Los Altos adopted a Complete Streets Master Plan in October of 2022, which includes a Vision Zero commitment and a recommendation for a Vision Zero program.
Los Gatos Local Roadway Safety Plan was adopted in 2022.
Vision Zero Morgan Hill was adopted in January 2018, providing ongoing policy direction and shifting attitudes and perceptions to align with safety being the highest priority for the City’s roadways.
Mountain View Vision Zero: In December 2019, Mountain View City Council unanimously adopted a Vison Zero Policy to eliminate fatal traffic collisions in Mountain View by 2030.
In summer 2023, Palo Alto is launching an effort to update its the Palo Alto Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan, last updated in 2012. Additionally, Palo Alto will develop a Safety Action Plan with Federal funding from a recent Safe Streets for All grant. Please visit the City’s transportation webpage for more information.
How is the State working to make our streets safer?
In October 2023, Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 413 which would “daylight” every crosswalk in the state. Daylighting prohibits parking within 20 feet of an intersection to improve visibility for both drivers and pedestrians. Cars parked at intersections often force pedestrians to step into the street to watch for oncoming traffic. They also reduce drivers’ visibility of pedestrians, increasing the likelihood of a collision. Parked cars can also obstruct traffic signals, increasing risk of car-to-car collisions due to unexpected stops.
Daylighting has been shown to prevent these risks and increase overall safety. For instance, San Francisco has reported 14% fewer collisions at intersections where daylighting was implemented. Enforcement of AB 413 will begin in January 2025.
Other recent bills to improve road safety include:
- AB 43 (2021) – Allows local governments to lower speed limits, providing an additional tool to cities to lower speed limits near schools, elder care facilities, and areas with vulnerable road users.
- AB 645 (2023) – Allows six CA cities (including San Jose) to pilot automated speed camera programs. The cameras would automatically ticket drivers for speeding.
As of 2023, the state also requires all transportation projects it funds or oversees to include “complete street” features that provide safe and accessible options for people walking, biking and taking transit. These bills are part of a larger effort by the state to reduce traffic injuries — in alignment with their Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatalities on state highways by 2050.
Saratoga City Council adopted the Saratoga Local Roadway Safety Plan in October 2022.
Sunnyvale City Council adopted the Sunnyvale Vision Zero Plan in July 2019 with a goal to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries, and subsequently adopted the Sunnyvale Local Roadway Safety Plan in September 2020 to identify engineering improvement recommendations to make Sunnyvale streets safer.
How can I learn more and become involved?
University of California, Berkeley's Safe Transportation Research and Education Center has developed an online tool that anyone can use to map and analyze traffic crashes in California: Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS)
Local organizations like the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets are advocating for laws, policies, and street infrastructure that will make our streets safer.
Safe Routes to School Programs are supporting pedestrian and bicycle safety education for K-12 students and advocating for safer streets around schools. Check to see if your city has a program at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department's Safe Routes to School page.