PSRC is working on a Regional Safety Action plan to help urgently address the alarming increase in serious injuries and deaths on our roadways.
We have taken a deep look at crash data across the region to examine what to improve first and have identified these key findings:
- Deaths on the region’s roadways have nearly doubled in the last decade.
- Bicycles and pedestrians represent nearly half of the increase in deaths.
- Crashes are happening everywhere, as much in the rural areas as larger cities.
- Native American and Alaskan Native community members are seven times more likely to die in crashes than white residents.
We also created the High-Injury Network (HIN) map which shows the most dangerous roads and intersections. You can look at your community on the map here.
PSRC spoke to residents around the region throughout the summer at community events, on-on-one interviews and community meetings to learn about safety concerns and how to address them in the action plan. An additional 1,250 people have given us feedback at our online engagement hub.
Here’s what we learned so far:
- Distracted driving is a primary concern in roadway safety, with 80% of people noting it.
- Speeding and running red lights or stop signs were also top concerns.
- When asked what would be most effective in keeping neighborhoods safe, the top three approaches listed were bicycle lanes, sidewalks and pathways and safe crossings for pedestrians.
We are working on compiling our findings as we develop the Regional Safety Action Plan right now. You will be able to review the plan and provide additional feedback in January 2025. Find out more at our online engagement hub or read the State of Safety in the Region report.
The development of the Regional Safety Action plan was made possible with two grants from the Safe Streets and Roads For All program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.