Join the Slow Down, San Jose Initiative!

In 2022, 670 San Jose residents were killed or injured in speeding-related collisions. The City of San Jose’s Vision Zero effort works to eliminate these preventable deaths and injuries. Vision Zero focuses on gathering and sharing traffic data to shift public attitudes about speeding and distracted driving.          

With more than 42,000 people killed nationally in traffic accidents in 2022, traffic safety has become a public health issue. In fact, Americans are 16 times more likely to be killed crossing the street than by a natural disaster. These accidents can cause great emotional trauma to those involved and compromise freedom of mobility for the entire community; and not all groups are affected the same by traffic accidents. Older adults are disproportionately the victims of fatal traffic accidents, both as pedestrians and motorists. Older adults, like all others, deserve freedom of mobility and safe streets to travel on. Vision Zero’s focus on equitable solutions will ensure traffic safety to protect San Jose’s older residents.

Vision Zero is operating in many cities all over the world. The initiative began in Sweden in 1997 where it was very successful, halving the number of traffic deaths from 2000 to 2010. Since then, many U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Portland, Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago have entrusted Vision Zero with making their streets safer. With its Vision Zero partnership, San Jose has joined a massive coalition of cities working towards traffic safety.

Vision Zero takes a proactive, preventative approach to create safe roads using education, data collection, and community engagement and collaboration. Through collaboration with policymakers, public health officials, transportation professionals, police, and community members, Vision Zero involves the entire community in efforts to ensure a community’s traffic safety goals are met. Vision Zero does not aim to eliminate traffic accidents entirely. Instead, through these strategies, Vision Zero hopes to prevent severe injuries and deaths that occur because of inevitable driver mistakes.

As part of the City of San Jose’s Vision Zero efforts, the city is highlighting the importance of driving at safe speeds with its Slow Down, San Jose initiative. When a driver goes over the speed limit, they are much more likely to hurt or kill someone. Slow Down, San Jose encourages drivers to prioritize human lives over convenience and reduce their driving speed to prevent traffic injuries and fatalities.

Here is how you can join the Slow Down, San Jose initiative:

1. Practice safe driving habits.

• Obey the speed limit – just a few miles over the speed limit can mean the difference between life and death
• Keep your eyes on the road
• Watch out for people crossing, walking, and biking
• Plan ahead – leave early to give yourself plenty of time

2. Keep an eye out for outreach teams around San Jose and take the “I Drive the Speed Limit” pledge!

3. Test your safe driving IQ!

4. Visit the campaign website to see and share our Slow Down, San Jose video.

Together, let’s make San Jose a safer city for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike! Learn more at visionzerosj.org.