New website publishes city crash data
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
Des Moines' Vision Zero dashboard officially launched this month.
Why it matters: The website provides the public with local crash data, including details like the posted speeds in areas where people were seriously injured or killed.
- The info will help the city prioritize future roadway improvements, including "street diets" to reduce lanes and slow vehicle speeds, city traffic engineer John Davis tells Axios.
Catch up fast: Vision Zero is part of a safety plan to eliminate serious accidents on streets and help the city qualify for roadway improvement grants.
- High-injury corridors along University Avenue and Southeast 14th Street are among areas already pinpointed for improvements in an action plan adopted by the City Council in June.
By the numbers: The dashboard currently shows five years of data through 2021 with an annual update for 2022 in the works, Davis said.
- There were 487 crashes that resulted in at least one serious injury or death during that time.
The intrigue: About 80% — just over 380 accidents — were on roads with posted speeds of 35 mph or less.
- About 30%, almost 150 crashes, were on minor arterial streets. That's more than those reported along DSM sections of U.S. and state highways combined, according to the data.
Zoom in: The dashboard includes an interactive map of crash sites and provides report case numbers to help people review accident-specific details.
- Another chart maps the city's progress towards a 2040 goal of zero traffic deaths or serious injuries.
The big picture: Vision Zero is part of an international safety campaign that some municipalities adopted years ago.
- Multiple European cities that participate in the pledge have registered fewer traffic deaths, Bloomberg reports.
Yes, but: It isn't an accident cure-all.
- New York road deaths, for example, spiked earlier this year despite the city's nearly decade-long participation in the program, NBC News reports.