Executive Directive No. 10 – Vision Zero

Our streets must be safe for everyone who uses them. Fatalities are not a tolerable
byproduct of transportation. Loss of life and severe injuries resulting from traffic crashes
are unacceptable outcomes that we can address. We must employ a strategic
approach to engineering, education, and law enforcement in connection with our streets
and sidewalks.

The City of Los Angeles ranks second in the nation for the number of people that are
killed by motor vehicles when walking. Since 2009, fatalities for pedestrians account for
more than half of fatal traffic collisions annually-nearly four times the national average
of 14 percent. Similarly, people walking or bicycling make up 56 percent of people killed
and severely injured in traffic collisions. Children and older adults who walk are
particularly vulnerable, and are five times more likely than drivers to be killed or severely
injured in crashes.

Therefore I am launching the citywide Vision Zero initiative. Saving human lives
must be our priority, so I am declaring safety to be the number one priority in
designing and building our streets and sidewalks.

Vision Zero is premised on the fundamental principle that loss of life by traffic collision is
unacceptable. The goal of Vision Zero is to target all traffic fatalities with an emphasis
on the most vulnerable users of our streets: people who walk and bicycle. Recognizing
that people make mistakes, an effective road safety system must take human fallibility
into account, must be designed to diminish the chances of human error, and must lower
the likelihood of severe injury or death when crashes occur. Safe mobility is critical for
all parts of our society: our transportation systems must keep us moving and our City
prosperous.