Charlotte is a busy city and continues to grow. In fact, it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Unfortunately, the number of traffic deaths is also growing. Charlotte started a program five years ago called “Vision Zero.” The purpose of the program was to bring down traffic deaths to zero by the year 2030. Sadly, the number of traffic deaths is not decreasing despite efforts made by Charlotte. According to the Charlotte Observer, the number of traffic deaths in Charlotte increased to 125 in 2022, up from 81 in 2020.
What is Vision Zero?
Vision Zero is a global initiative that is designed to reduce and eliminate traffic deaths. The program began in Sweden in the 1990s and soon spread across the world. The initiative utilizes a non-traditional vision of the potential to end traffic deaths. At the core of Vision Zero is the belief that traffic accidents are preventable and integrates an approach that realizes that humans are not perfect. Charlotte adopted Vision Zero in 2019 with the goal of eliminating traffic deaths entirely by the year 2030.
How is Charlotte Failing?
Charlotte has adopted a variety of ideas in their Vision Zero plan to help reduce and eliminate accidents. An internal audit was recently completed and details how the Charlotte Vision Zero plan is falling short of expectations. The audit found that the city has not implemented many of its own recommendations, such as a rapid study and modification of streets where serious accidents occur.
While many streets and intersections have been identified as high-collision areas, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department does not put any extra emphasis on these routes. According to the audit report, the “enforcement operations are evenly scheduled and distributed around the city by CMPD Division without regard to the severity of each corridor’s crash history.” In fact, the report found that city vehicles
often contribute to unsafe conditions by blocking sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
Accountability Adds to the Ineffectiveness of Vision Zero
Importantly, Charlotte has not appointed anyone to oversee the Vision Zero program. Law enforcement does not consistently record correct data about accidents, which makes it impossible to properly keep track of crash information. The Department of Transportation does not track the effect that improvements to infrastructure have on traffic safety. There are no specific traffic safety performance goals in place. Charlotte continues to fund safety improvements yearly for Vision Zero; however, there is no accountability for the use of funds, nor is there a method in place to review the impact of the improvements. Even though the city has used millions of dollars a year for Project Zero, the number of traffic deaths continues to rise rather than be reduced.
Traffic accidents continue to be problematic for Charlotte. Often, crashes result in serious injuries or fatalities. If you or a loved one is the victim of an accident that was not your fault, you may be owed money for your injuries. Call us today at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, at (704) 370-2828 to request a free initial consultation with our legal team.
The skilled personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to maximizing the financial recovery and obtaining justice for every personal injury client injured by another party’s negligence. The issues our personal injury clients may be facing include, but are not limited to, slip and fall injuries, wrongful death, product liability, catastrophic injuries, dog bite claims, car and truck accident injuries, motorcycle injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), nursing home negligence, spinal cord injury, boating accidents, and defective medical device injury. Our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact such an injury can have on a person’s life, and that the effects so often go beyond physical pain and suffering. The personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to helping clients determine the strength of their claims, and to aggressively pursuing the means necessary to achieve the best possible end result for each client’s particular situation.
Source:
https://www.charlottenc.gov/City-Government/Initiatives-and-Involvement/Vision-Zero
https://visionzeronetwork.org/about/what-is-vision-zero/
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article290566419.html
Image Credit:
https://www.freeimages.com/photo/traffic-jam-1231529
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