Attorney
Recently, Washington City Paper had an interesting long-form story about Vision Zero, a pedestrian accident campaign aimed at reducing fatalities in major metropolitan areas including D.C.
What is Vision Zero?
We blogged about Vision Zero earlier this spring. By 2024, D.C. is attempting to end all fatal pedestrian accidents through public strategies and funding. Other cities including New York, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Portland, and Chicago, have also implemented their own vision of the program.
According to Washington City Paper, as of Sept. 9, there were 16 pedestrian traffic fatalities in the district this year, a 23.8 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2014. Although the numbers appear to be dropping, many people say there are many unsafe intersections in the city.
As part of the campaign, D.C.’s Department of Transportation is expected to release a safety plan later this month to the public. The plan is going to utilize information from events held with various agencies and citizens. Earlier this year, a crowd-sourced safety map was released by DDOT that allowed people to interact and discuss intersections where pedestrian accidents may be a concern.
Additionally, more than 2,600 residents participated in Vision Zero awareness events held throughout July, with many expressing concerns over driver speeds in certain neighborhoods and the number of people engaged in distracted driving.
According to the Washington City Paper, some citizens have also said that the District needs to do a better job collecting data on traffic incidents in all eight wards, as some have said that the Metropolitan Police Department is not doing a good job documenting crash reports.
Our DC Attorneys Represent Pedestrian Accident Victims
We are glad that something is being done to shine a light on pedestrian safety concerns. However, in many cases, there is very little a pedestrian can do to avoid being in an accident. When this occurs, victims should speak to our D.C. lawyers about holding a reckless driver liable.
If you have been injured or your loved one has been killed in a D.C.-area pedestrian accident, you can reach us by clicking on the live chat option on this page. You can visit our social media sites by clicking on the icons on this page to read more about pedestrian accidents.
Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.
Washington, D.C. Injury Attorneys