Highway Safety - Target Zero

2023

Target Zero aims for zero fatalities and serious injury crashes

Washington's Strategic Highway Safety Plan uses Target Zero metrics that reflect the vision of zero fatal and serious injury crashes by 2030. WSDOT believes the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes can be reduced through Complete Streets projects using the Safe Systems Approach. The Safe System Approach focuses on the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of roadway infrastructure and deploying high-performing countermeasures known to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes.

WSDOT's primary focus is on those areas of emphasis that it can directly affect. For example:

• Implementing crash countermeasures related to specific crash types (such as those involving lane departures or that are intersection-related), and
• Addressing crashes related to road user groups (such as young drivers, older drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, heavy trucks, and motorcyclists).

Lane departure crashes, also known as "roadway departure crashes," are one of the leading crash types identified in Target Zero. Lane departure crashes are the sum of run-off-the-road crashes plus opposite-direction crashes. There were 1,451 lane departure crashes that resulted in fatalities and serious injury crashes in 2023, a 7.0% increase from 1,356 in 2022, and a 39.1% increase from 1,043 in 2019. The five-year annual average for fatal and serious injury lane departure crashes was 1,269.

WSDOT uses strategies aimed at reducing the number of fatal and serious injury lane departure crashes, including enhanced warning signs, rumble strips, and high-friction surface treatments; and reducing the severity of these crashes using traffic barriers.

Intersection-related crashes occur at or are related to intersections and ramps. Intersection-related crashes that resulted in fatalities or serious injuries increased 12.3% from 1,153 in 2022 to 1,295 in 2023. This marked a 58.7% increase from 816 in 2019 and a five-year average of 1,032 intersection-related fatal and serious injury crashes.

Active transportation users are vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and individuals using mobility assistive devices.

• Pedestrian-related fatal and severe injury crashes increased 13.3% from 548 in 2022 to 632 in 2023. Compared the 475 pedestrian-related fatal and severe injury crashes in 2019, the 632 in 2023 represents a 33.1% increase.
• Bicyclist-related fatal and serious injury crashes increased 11.4% from 158 in 2022 to 176 in 2023. Compared to the 116 bicyclist-related fatal and serious injury crashes in 2019, the 176 in 2023 represents a 51.7% increase.
• Combined active transportation fatal and serious injury crashes increased 14.4% from 706 in 2022 to 808 in 2023. Compared to the 519 combined active transportation fatal and serious injury crashes in 2019, the 808 in 2023 represents a 55.7% increase.
• The five-year (2019-2023) combined average for active transportation fatal and serious injury crashes was 665, up 3.1% from the previous five-year average of 645.

To reduce the potential for crashes between drivers and active transportation users, state safety partners are:

• Designing roads with reduced speeds
• Working to reduce distances at road crossings
• Increasing visibility
• Separating infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes)
• Completing transportation network connections, and
• Reducing the risks of impaired-involved crashes.

WSDOT recognizes that continuing improvements to performance-based decision-making, data collection, and analysis are essential in any effort to effectively reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on Washington roads.

2022

Target Zero aims for zero fatalities and serious injuries crashes for all travelers

Washington's Strategic Highway Safety Plan uses Target Zero metrics that reflect the vision of zero fatal and serious injury crashes by 2030. WSDOT believes fatal and serious injury crash potential may be reduced through the 2022 state transportation budget, which required the implementation of Complete Streets projects using the Safe Systems Approach. The approach is focused on the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of roadway infrastructure along with the deployment of high-performing countermeasures known to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes.

WSDOT's primary focus is on those emphasis areas that the agency can directly affect by implementing crash countermeasures related to specific crash types (such as those involving lane departures or that are intersection related), and crashes related to road user groups (such as young drivers, older drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, heavy trucks, and motorcyclists).

Lane departure crashes, also known as "roadway departure crashes," are one of the leading crash types identified in Target Zero. There were 1,514 lane departures resulting in fatal and serious injury crashes in 2022, a 3.1 % increase from 1,469 in 2021. In the past five years, fatal and serious injury lane departure crashes have increased 45.0% since 2018 when there were 1,044.

WSDOT uses strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of fatal and serious injury lane departure crashes, including enhanced warning signs, rumble strips, and high-friction surface treatments; and reducing the severity of these crashes using traffic barriers.

Intersection-related crashes occur at or are related to intersections and ramps. Intersection-related crashes that resulted in fatalities or serious injuries increased 10.8% from 1,120 in 2021 to 1,241 in 2022. In the past five years, fatal and serious injury Intersection crashes have increased 36.2% since 2018 when there were 911. WSDOT is focused on the installation of roundabouts to address crashes in this subcategory.

Active transportation users are vulnerable road users who include pedestrians, bicyclists and people using mobility assistive devices.

• In 2022, there were 556 pedestrian-related fatalities and serious injuries compared to 566 in 2021 a 1.8% decrease
• There was a 36.0% increase in bicyclist-related fatalities and serious injuries from 114 in 2021 to 155 in 2022
• Combined pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities and serious injuries increased 4.6% from 680 in 2021 to 711 in 2022

To reduce the potential for crashes between drivers and active transportation users, state safety partners are:

• Designing roads with reduced speeds
• Working to reduce distances at road crossings
• Increasing visibility
• Separating infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes)
• Completing transportation network connections, and
• Reducing the risks of impaired-involved crashes.

WSDOT recognizes that continuing improvements to performance-based decision-making, data collection, and analysis are essential in any efforts to effectively reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes on Washington roads.

2021

Strategic highway safety plan aims for zero fatal and serious injury crashes in Washington

Washington's Strategic Highway Safety Plan uses Target Zero metrics that reflect the vision of zero fatal and serious injury crashes by 2030. WSDOT uses Target Zero as a basis for its work on roadway infrastructure changes in an ongoing effort to prevent fatal and serious injury crashes and reduce the severity of crashes. To that end, the agency focuses on the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of roadway infrastructure along with the deployment of high-performing countermeasures known to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes. WSDOT also uses Target Zero to help identify investment strategies for the agency's safety program and to measure progress toward its safety performance goals.

WSDOT, state law enforcement and safety agencies use Target Zero to identify emphasis areas and determine priorities related to fatal and serious injuries. Each emphasis area encompasses broad categories of crash types and provides the basis for developing WSDOT's work that is focused on specific crash types and contributing factors. The expectation is that such targeted investments will be more likely to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes and severity for individuals or groups of crash types.

WSDOT's primary focus is on those emphasis areas that the agency can directly affect by implementing crash countermeasures related to specific crash types (such as those involving lane departures or that are intersection related) and crashes related to road user groups (such as young drivers, older drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, heavy trucks, and motorcyclists).

Lane departure crashes, also known as "roadway departure crashes," are one of the leading crash types identified in Target Zero. In 2021, there were 1,410 lane departures compared to 1,232 in 2020 a 14.4% increase in the total number of lane departures resulting in fatalities and serious injuries.

WSDOT uses strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of fatal and serious injury lane departure crashes, including enhanced warning signs, rumble strips, and high-friction surface treatments; and reducing the severity of these crashes using traffic barriers.

Intersection-related crashes are crashes that occur at or are related to intersections and ramps. Intersection related crashes for fatalities and serious injuries increased 17.6% from 933 in 2020 to 1,097 in 2021. WSDOT is focused on the installation of roundabouts to address crashes in this subcategory.

Active transportation users are vulnerable road users who include pedestrians, bicyclists and people using mobility assistive devices.

• In 2021, there were 551 pedestrian related fatal and serious injury crashes compared to 408 in 2020 a 35.0% increase.
• For bicyclist related fatal and serious injury crashes in 2021 there was a 5.6% increase from 107 in 2020 to 113 in 2021.
• Combined pedestrian and bicyclist fatal and serious injury crashes increased 28.9% from 515 in 2020 to 664 in 2021.

To reduce the potential for crashes between drivers and active transportation users, state safety partners are designing roads with reduced speeds, working to reduce distances at road crossings, increasing visibility, separating infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes), completing transportation network connections, and reducing the risks of impaired-involved crashes.

WSDOT recognizes that continuing improvements to performance-based decision-making, data collection, and analysis are essential in any efforts to effectively reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on Washington roads.

2020

Aiming for zero fatal and serious injury crashes in Washington

Within the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (Target Zero) emphasis areas, WSDOT's primary focus is on those the agency can directly affect by implementing crash countermeasures related to crash type such as crashes involving lane departures, crashes that are intersection-related, and crashes related to road user groups such as young drivers, older drivers, pedestrian and bicyclists, heavy trucks, and motorcyclists.

Lane departure crashes, also known as "roadway departure crashes," are one of the leading crash types identified in the SHSP. In 2020, there were 238 lane departure fatalities and 985 lane departure serious injuries compared to 270 and 825 in 2019, respectively. While lane departure fatalities decreased, the total number of lane departure fatalities and serious injuries increased by 11.6% from 2019 to 2020.

WSDOT uses widespread, lower-cost strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of high severity lane departure crashes, including using enhanced warning signs, centerline, and shoulder rumble strips that alert drivers when their vehicles are leaving the lane, and high-friction surface treatments; and reducing the severity of these crashes using traffic barriers.

Intersection-related crashes are crashes that occur at/or are related to intersections and ramps. There were 132 intersection-related fatalities and 788 intersection-related serious injuries in 2020 compared to 114 and 759 respectively in 2019. The total number of fatalities and serious injuries increased by 5.3% from 2019 to 2020.

Pedestrians are vulnerable road users often referred to as active transportation users who walk, run or may use a mobility assistive device. In 2020, there were 97 pedestrian related fatalities and 306 serious injuries compared to 107 and 358 respectively in 2019, a 13% decrease in total fatalities and serious injuries from 2019 to 2020.

To reduce the potential for crashes between drivers and active transportation users, state safety partners are designing roads with reduced speeds, working to reduce distances at road crossings, increasing visibility, separating infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes), completing transportation network connections, and reducing the risks of impaired-involved crashes.

WSDOT recognizes that continuing improvements to performance-based decision-making, data collection, and analysis are essential in any efforts to effectively reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Washington roads.

2019

Aiming for zero fatalities and serious injuries for all travelers on Washington state highways

The Target Zero—Washington's Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)—emphasis areas are organized into the following categories: high risk behavior, crash types, road users, and decisions and performance. The plan also identified some areas for monitoring. Within the SHSP emphasis areas, WSDOT's primary focus is on those that the agency can directly affect by implementing infrastructure countermeasures: crashes involving roadway departure (lane departures), crashes that are intersection-related; and crashes involving the different user groups identified as priorities in the plan (younger drivers, older drivers, people walking, people biking, heavy vehicles, and motorcyclists).

Lane departure crashes, also known as "roadway departure crashes" are one of the leading crash types identified in the SHSP. In 2019, there were 269 lane departure fatalities and 825 lane departure serious injuries compared to 259 and 756 in 2018, respectively.

WSDOT uses widespread, lower-cost strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of high severity lane departure crashes, including using enhanced warning signs, centerline, and shoulder rumble strips that alert drivers when their vehicles are leaving the lane, and high-friction surface treatments; and reducing the severity of these crashes using traffic barriers.

Intersection-related crashes are crashes that occur at or are related to intersections and ramps. There were 107 intersection-related fatalities and 765 intersection-related serious injuries in 2019 compared to 111 and 802 in 2018.

The agency recognizes continuing improvements to performance-based decision-making, data collection, and analysis are essential in any efforts to effectively reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Washington roads.

Pedestrian road users are often referred to as active transportation and include users of mobility assistive devices. In 2019, there were 113 pedestrian related fatalities and 464 serious injuries compared to 119 and 523 in 2018.

To reduce the potential for crashes between drivers and active transportation users, state safety partners are designing roads with reduced speeds, working to reduce distances at road crossings, increasing visibility, separating infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes), completing transportation network connections, and reducing the risks of impaired-involved crashes.