Vision Zero

Key Concepts

• Death and serious injuries are unacceptable
  • All crashes are undesirable, but Vision Zero prioritizes eliminating crashes that result in death or serious injury. The transportation system should allow for human error that does not result in severe crashes.
• Crash not accident
  • Accidents imply nothing could be done to prevent the incident and/or that no one is at fault. Eliminate the word “accident” from your vocabulary and begin using “crash.”
• Equity at the forefront
  • Black, brown, and low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by dangerous streets and dangerous driving. These communities must be prioritized. Vision Zero also must not result in over-policing of these communities.
• Slow speeds save lives
  • A person hit by someone driving a car at 20 MPH has a 9 in 10 chance of surviving; at 30 MPH, the chances of survival drop to 60%. Slowing speeds through safe street design must be prioritized. Everyone must drive at safe speeds, not just “bad drivers.”
• Multi-sector
  • Vision Zero requires the commitment and work of multiple departments, agencies, and stakeholders – City Departments, partner agencies, and people living and visiting Milwaukee. A safe transportation system is the responsibility of all.

What does Vision Zero look like?

Below are examples of strategies that may be used under Vision Zero. This list is not comprehensive and not all strategies may be used in Milwaukee.

• Redesigned streets that make it difficult to speed and safer and easier to choose to walk, bike, and take transit
• Comprehensive driver education provided automatically to all MPS students
• Immediate investigations of fatal/serious injury crashes by MPD and DPW
• City-wide reduction in speed limits
• Automated enforcement at targeted intersections and corridors to ensure safe driving behaviors
  • Note: this type of enforcement is not currently legal in Wisconsin
• Investments in infrastructure on high crash corridors
• A community-wide safe driving education campaign
• A restorative justice program for individuals convicted of traffic offenses

More Resources: 

• The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) completed a Crash Study in 2023 with a high-injury network to help target safety improvements.