Vision Zero
Vision Zero is Austin's commitment to eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries on our roadways. By designing safer streets, using data to guide public policy, supporting targeted enforcement, and engaging our community, we're building a transportation system where everyone can travel safely.
Originally developed in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has helped cities around the world reduce crashes by treating traffic safety as a preventable public health issue—not an unavoidable part of daily life. Austin City Council adopted Vision Zero in 2015 as part of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan.
Austin Transportation and Public Works leads Vision Zero efforts through planning, project delivery, and collaboration with community partners. The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan outlines key actions, indicators, and targets that guide Austin's ongoing Vision Zero initiatives.
View Vision Zero safety projects View the Vision Zero 10-Year Report
- Data and Tools
Data informs all of Vision Zero's initiatives, helping to identify locations where engineering, education, or enforcement interventions should be prioritized to have the most impact in improving safety at high crash locations
The High-Injury Network (HIN) identifies streets with a relatively high number of serious injury and fatal crashes. It includes just 8% of the city's street network but contains nearly 60% of all serious injury or fatal crashes for all modes. Austin used the HIN to prioritize low-cost safety improvements on 13 High-Injury Roadway segments.
The Vision Zero Viewer is an interactive dashboard and map that displays fatal and serious-injury crash data and trends.
Austin's Open Data Portal contains crash records from Austin over the last 10 years.
- Partnerships
Vision Zero's success depends on cultivating a safety culture that consistently prioritizes safety above all else. Over the past decade, Austin has strengthened this foundation by fostering collaborative partnerships and broadening Vision Zero initiatives throughout the city, region and state.
Vision Zero Leadership Council
Formed in 2019, this multidisciplinary workgroup includes representatives from several City departments, regional transportation agencies and other organizations to provide guidance on program priorities. The Leadership Council has spawned important initiatives, including an Impaired Driving Action Team that has brought together over 20 local and regional partners using a public health framework to prevent impaired driving.
Enforcement and prosecution
- Vision Zero partners with Austin Police Department to target behaviors causing the most serious injuries and deaths through the No Refusal Initiative (impaired driving) and Vision Zero in Action (speeding and distracted driving on high-risk corridors).
- Vision Zero provides financial support for Travis County's DWI Court and Transformative Youth Justice programs, which address impaired driving offenses through rehabilitative approaches. These programs support the rental of alcohol monitoring device for indigent participants, aligning with Austin's policy of prioritizing behavioral intervention over punitive measures—an evidence-based approach that reduces recidivism.
- In partnership with the Austin Police Department (APD) and Austin Municipal Court, recipients of failure to yield citations who caused crashes with injuries must now appear in court and face higher fines rather than being allowed to pay a fine without a prosecutor’s involvement.
- In partnership with Austin Parking Enforcement, dedicated parking enforcement officers are assigned to ticket and tow vehicles illegally parked in designated bike-only lanes, reducing potential traffic conflicts by decreasing the likelihood people biking will have to veer into general-purpose travel lanes.
Education
Vision Zero conducts education campaigns year-round to address top unsafe behaviors that contribute to injury crashes. Campaigns aim to reach communities where they are, through various means such as in-person events, radio, television, and social media, with multilingual support.
Watch Vision Zero safety videos
Research partnershipsVision Zero also partners with university research teams to explore, collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data in Austin that inform program development and prioritization.
In 2024, the City of Austin partnered with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health (UTHealth Houston) on a research project to engage young adults with ties to the Montopolis community to map opportunities to reduce traffic-related fatal and serious injuries for the area. The study involved walk audits, peer reviews and photovoice activities in which the young adult researchers explored transportation safety in Montopolis through photography and narrative writing.
Other transportation agencies
Vision Zero continues collaborating with TxDOT to enhance safety on State-owned roadways, which account for most of Austin's traffic fatalities. Despite differing policies and design guidelines, Vision Zero has strengthened this partnership by including TxDOT in City Fatality Review Board meetings, participating in Interstate 35 reconstruction workshops and coordinating on specific projects. This collaboration has produced tangible improvements, such as a temporary pedestrian barrier on I-35 to discourage pedestrian crossings. Since installation, pedestrian fatalities on I-35 have decreased significantly and several new grade-separated crossings are planned for the Capital Express projects.
- Vision Zero Analytics
Left-Turn Calming Pilot
Austin's Vision Zero program is seeing promising results from its Left-Turn Calming Pilot. After installing quick‑build safety treatments at 16 intersections, crashes involving left‑turning vehicles and pedestrians dropped 46%, with injury crashes down 56%. These low‑cost designs are helping create safer, more predictable intersections for people walking, biking, and rolling across the city. Learn more about how these improvements are making Austin's streets safer for everyone.
10-year Methodology Report
Ten years after adopting Vision Zero, Austin has achieved measurable safety improvements where it has invested resources in redesigning streets. Serious injury and fatal crashes have declined between 9% and 65% after implementing proven safety treatments, with comprehensive crash cost reductions of 15% to 57%— saving the people of Austin hundreds of millions of dollars annually. While far too many people are killed and injured in traffic crashes each year, Austin's streets have become safer through strategic investments in protected bike lanes, redesigned intersections, traffic calming, and other evidence-based treatments that protect all users.
2024 Left Turn Protection
As a follow-up to its 2022 report on strategies to reduce left turn crashes between vehicles, Vision Zero updated its original analysis and assessed the safety impact of the City’s new Left Turn Protection Guidelines. After implementing over 100 protected left turns at traffic signals, there was a 72% decrease in the number of opposite-direction, left turn injury and fatal crashes at 73 intersections with at least three months of post-completion data.
2024 Major Intersection Safety Projects
Expanding on its 2022 analysis of major intersection safety projects, Vision Zero evaluated the performance of 22 intersections with at least one year of crash data available after construction. In the aggregate, the project locations showed a 22% decrease in fatal and serious injury crashes, in contrast to a 1% increase in fatal and serious injury crashes for a comparison group of all signalized intersections in Austin.
Video Analytics
Vision Zero piloted video analytics technologies to evaluate safety incidents using recorded videos at 26 locations. These deployments can recognize and assess traffic risks at target locations while identifying and disaggregating different types of road users. This information can aid the development of engineering treatments and measure the effectiveness of safety improvements, augmenting the City’s use of crash data. For example, at a major intersection project site, events considered “high risk” fell by 62% after safety improvements.
Drugs and Alcohol Among Fatal Crash Victims
Comparing differences in toxicology reporting from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Information System and the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCME), Vision Zero found that state crash reports significantly undercounted the percentage of fatal crash victims who tested positive for drug use or who had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher. Overall, TCME recorded the presence of drugs or a BAC of at least .08 for 77% of fatal crash victims between 2018 and 2022.
2022 Major Intersection Safey Projects
Between 2016 and July 2022, Austin completed 19 major intersection safety projects. Vision Zero studied the safety performance of 13 of these sites that had at least one year of crash data after completion. Overall, there was a 31% reduction in the annual number of serious injury or fatal crashes across these intersections. Over the same period, injury or fatal crashes across a citywide comparison group rose 8%.
2022 Signalization Strategies
Vision Zero sponsored the implementation of safety countermeasures at signalized intersections for more than two dozen locations. At 18 of these sites, which had at least six months of completion data, there were sustained reductions in crashes, including a 64% decrease in the annualized number of opposite-direction, left turn injury crashes, which occur when left-turning vehicles collide with through-moving vehicles.
- Analítica de Visión Cero
Rendimiento de los proyectos de seguridad de Austin
Diez años después de adoptar el compromiso de Vision Zero, Austin ha logrado mejoras medibles en la seguridad
al invertir en recursos para rediseñar las calles. Los choques mortales y causantes de lesiones graves disminuyeron
entre un 9 % y un 86 % tras implementar medidas de seguridad comprobadas, lo que redujo el costo total por
choques entre un 15 % y un 57 %. Estos resultados ahorran a las personas de Austin cientos de millones de dólares
por año.Reducción de choques en intersecciones importantes de Austin con mejoras de seguridad
Un nuevo análisis muestra que las intersecciones que recibieron tratamientos de ingeniería como parte del Programa
de Mejoras de Seguridad de Transporte de Vision Zero desde que se creó el programa en 2016 han visto una reducción
significativa en el número de choques luego de la ejecución del proyecto. Esto incluye una reducción del 31% en el número de choques mortales y con lesiones graves al año en estas intersecciones. Vision Zero está utilizando los resultados de este análisis para ayudar a guiar futuras mejoras de seguridad en la eficacia las lesiones en las intersecciones con más choques en Austin.Estrategias de señalización reducen choques con vehículos que dan vuelta a la izquierda
Los análisis recientes demuestran que las contramedidas de bajo costo puestas en práctica por el Departamento
de Transporte de Austin en intersecciones con semáforos han reducido los choques con vehículos que dan vuelta
a la izquierda. Estos cambios incluyen intervalos de tiempo en los semáforos para cruzar a la izquierda, instalación de flechas amarillas intermitentes y mejoras de los letreros y semáforos, todo como parte de la estrategia de Vision Zero para diseñar un sistema de transporte intuitivo y predecible que promueva comportamientos
saludables. El Departamento de Transporte de Austin (ATD, por sus siglas en inglés) está utilizando estos resultados como base para la creación de guías más formales para poner en práctica estos tipos de cambios en otros
lugares en Austin para mejorar la seguridad de todo el sistema.Continúa bajando el número de choques donde se han ejecutado proyectos de seguridad en intersecciones importantes en Austin
En julio de 2022, el programa Vision Zero de Austin publicó un informe sobre la reducción en el número de choques en los 13 lugares donde se han completado proyectos de seguridad en intersecciones importantes. Desde entonces, Vision Zero ha continuado recolectando datos sobre el desempeño de seguridad de estos 13 lugares más otros nueve Proyectos de Seguridad en Intersecciones completados en los últimos años.
Drogas y alcohol entre las víctimas de choques mortales
Un análisis comparativo de resultados de toxicología y reportes de choques.
Evaluación de prueba piloto de pacificación en vueltas a la izquierda
Los métodos de pacificación del tráfico en intersecciones tratan de reducir la velocidad de los vehículos y hacer que las vueltas a la izquierda y derecha se aproximen más a un ángulo recto con el fin de reducir el riesgo de colisiones para las personas en el cruce peatonal. En 2024, el programa Vision Zero de la Ciudad de Austin implementó una prueba piloto de pacificación delas vueltas a la izquierda y recolectó datos sobre 16 intersecciones antes y después de implementar los cambios.
Actualización de 2024: Los cambios en los semáforos continúan reduciendo los choques que involucran a vehículoas que doblan a la izquierda
El programa Vision Zero de Austin tiene nuevos datos que indican el impacto positivo que pueden tener los cambios de bajo costo en los semáforos para reducir los choques que involucran a vehículos que doblan a la izquierda en las intersecciones.
- Media Resources
The Vision Zero Network provides resources for reporters on Vision Zero and recommendations for reporting on roadway safety issues. Key crash reporting tips include:
- Frame the story within the context of a systemic public health crisis. Include information such as any history of previous crashes on the street, the number of crashes and resulting injuries and fatalities locally and/or nationally, and any countermeasures that can help reduce the severity of crashes.
- Use "crash" instead of "accident." Under the Safe Systems framework, injuries from traffic crashes are predictable and preventable.
- Provide context about the crash location. Include characteristics of the crash location, such as speed limits, presence of sidewalks, street lighting, or location of nearest crossing, among others.
- Use active voice and language to appropriately describe the people involved. Avoid statements such as "a person was hit by a car."
- Avoid statements about the victim’s choices without further context. Information such as color or brightness of a pedestrian's clothes or where they were traveling, without other context such as characteristics of the street, can influence how readers perceive blame.
Common Misconceptions in Crash Reporting
The following are examples of misleading statements that are often mentioned in crash reporting.
- "The pedestrian was jaywalking/crossing illegally."
There may be legal crossings in areas where there are no marked crosswalks. According to the Texas Transportation Code, Sec. 552.005, pedestrians may cross in a marked crosswalk, in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, or where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossings has been provided. Between adjacent intersections where traffic control signals are in operation, a pedestrian may cross only in a marked crosswalk. - "Helmets are required for cyclists and scooter riders."
There are no federal or state laws requiring helmet use while riding a bicycle or micromobility device. Austin City Code Chapter 12-2 does require children age 17 and under to wear a helmet while riding. - "The cyclist was in the roadway."
People on bicycles may ride in the street, and they have the same rights and responsibilities to follow the same laws as people driving vehicles. - "The driver stayed on scene and is cooperating."
While statements like these may be true, they can be interpreted as indirectly shifting blame from the driver and onto the other party.
Austin reflects on 10 years of Vision Zero
More Resources
This guide provides safe ride options to and from parties, events, or just hanging out with friends. Check out these resources and email us with any questions.
The City of Austin is working to make our streets safer, thanks in part to funding it has received through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program established by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Displaying yard signs is an easy way to encourage safer driving in your neighborhood. Our Vision Zero yard signs are printed with one side in English and one side in Spanish.
This guide provides safe ride options to and from parties, events, or just hanging out with friends. Check out these resources and email us with any questions.
The City of Austin is working to make our streets safer, thanks in part to funding it has received through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program established by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Displaying yard signs is an easy way to encourage safer driving in your neighborhood. Our Vision Zero yard signs are printed with one side in English and one side in Spanish.
See a map showing Austin streets where data indicate that existing design and behavior have contributed to a higher likelihood of traffic-crash-related injuries.
View crash data by month, year, transportation mode, demographic groups impacted, time of day, and geographic data.