Traffic deaths in Los Angeles rose sharply despite a high-profile campaign by Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city leaders to eliminate fatal traffic crashes.
In 2016, the first full year that Garcetti’s Vision Zero policy was in effect in L.A., 260 people were killed in traffic crashes on city streets, an increase of almost 43% over the previous year.
Rising traffic deaths appear to be more than a one-year aberration: So far in 2017, crash fatalities are 22% higher than in the same period last year.
When Garcetti announced L.A.’s Vision Zero, he sought a 20% drop in traffic deaths by the end of 2017. This year’s higher fatality rate and some funding questions underscore the challenges the program still faces.
Vision Zero’s advocates say they have spent more than a year analyzing traffic collision data to pinpoint a series of corridors that have seen the most serious injuries and deaths. Some of those streets are due to receive overhauls aimed at slowing down drivers and reducing fatalities.
Los Angeles’ increase in traffic deaths outpaces national trends. In 2016, 40,200 people died in crashes involving cars, a 6% increase over the previous year, according to the National Safety Council.
More:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-2016-traffic-deaths-20170403-story.htmlBefore you read it, take a wild guess as to what factor is NOT mentioned.
