?This is our moonshot? Traffic deaths continue to plague U.S. streets, with pedestrian deaths reaching a 33-year high last year. Now, federal safety agencies are stepping in with an ambitious strategy to completely eliminate road fatalities nationwide by 2050.
Road to Zero is the initiative of the National Safety Council, which worked closely with the Department of Transportation and over 600 industry groups over the past year. Although dozens of cities across the country already have set their own goals to eliminate traffic deaths as part of Vision Zero initiatives, this is the first national strategy, with recommendations outlined in a scenario-type report by the RAND Corporation.
?Our study is forward-thinking and a bit speculative,? says Liisa Escola, one of the authors of the report. ?If it?s 2050 now and there are no deaths?what is it that happened over the last 30 to 40 years to get us to this point"?
National Safety Council

The report details the U.S.?s troubling reality: After decades of watching roadway deaths decline, the last five years have seen a sharp uptick in fatalities. But some Vision Zero cities?like New York and San Francisco?have been able to buck those trends with policies focused on reduced speed limits and improved street design.
Key recommendations from the report confirm that the Vision Zero strategy is working?focusing on physical changes to the urban streetscape that are known to save lives. The report cites spe...