MEDIA ADVISORY
2015 Deadly Year for Traffic Crashes – Numbers Increase from 2014
San Diego, California (February 2, 2016) – 2015 was a deadly year for people walking, bicycling, and driving the streets of San Diego. Fifty-four people died on the road last year, a 17% increase from the previous year. Advocates for Vision Zero, a movement to reach zero traffic deaths, will gather at noon to honor lost lives by placing white shoes on the steps of City Hall.
WHEN: 12 Noon, Tuesday, February 2
WHERE: Steps of 1200 Civic Center Plaza
WHAT: Honoring the 54 lives lost in 2015 due to traffic violence, and release of 2015 traffic death data
WHO: Kathleen Ferrier, Director of Advocacy, Circulate San Diego
Samantha Ollinger, Executive Director, BikeSD
Jose Miranda, Nicole Leon, Friends of Jaime Leonen, crash victim
WHY: Vision Zero is a strategy adopted by the City last fall to reach zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries in San Diego by 2025. Members of the Vision Zero coalition will acknowledge the City’s early actions to advance the strategy, and highlight the need for further action to reduce the The City has experienced an alarming increase in traffic deaths, especially among pedestrians, over the past several years. The numbers increased significantly in 2015 for all modes of transportation, including people walking, bicycling, driving, and motorcycling. People walking experienced the biggest increase, with 23 deaths and 54 people seriously injured, 42% higher than 2014. This tragic reality comes on the heels of 2014, the now the second deadliest year in San Diego in a decade.
Vision Zero is supported by a coalition of leading transportation, business, and community based organization. This coalition will release 2015 traffic fatality statistics at the press conference.
