Body

Climate Action Plan Target 3

Current Status

Ongoing

Activity In 2021

315 fatalities, 1,442 serious injuries

Beyond 2021

Reduce fatalities to 0 on Houston streets by 2030

Related Initiatives

Related Targets

How Does Traffic Safety Increase Resilience?

A resilient Houston is a welcoming and safe place for all Houstonians, no matter their age, health status, or physical ability. This means ensuring that people can walk, bike, and ride on safe streets without fear. It means that streets, parks, neighborhoods, and buildings are designed to accommodate residents of all physical abilities and ages, including our children, our senior citizens, and Houstonians with disabilities. In 2020, the City carried out the development of a Vision Zero Action Plan and in 2021 launched “Humans of Houston” to capture the stories of Houstonians affected by street fatalities and serious injuries. From 2020 to 2021, there’s been an increase in traffic fatalities (21%) and serious injuries (19%), on par with the national trend (18% increase in fatalities) due to changes in driving behaviors since the pandemic (i.e. speeding, traveling without a seatbelt), changes in vehicle models and design, and roadway design that does not protect vulnerable road users.

Traffic-Related Fatalities and Serious Injuries in 2021

2021 Data Source
Texas Department of Transportation and Kinder Institute for Urban Research-Urban Data Platform Team. “Public Crash Data Extract from TxDOT (2021).” Rice University-Kinder Institute: UDP, 2022