2017 Annual Meeting

To determine what equitable enforcement/traffic safety programming look like in areas of high economic hardship. Participants will discuss a three pronged approach to building partnership to complete/safe streets for everyone (pedestrians, transit users, bicyclists and motorists) to travel safely/comfortably on our roadways.  This program can be applied to all ages and abilities safer, cheaper, and healthier travel options supporting economic development to create sustainable infrastructure and communities.  
This session provides:
National Overview:  Review data about how traffic crashes affect people throughout the US
Equity Overview:  Learn how traffic crashes disproportionately affect low income/minority communities through the lens of public health
Community Overview:  Discuss what equitable enforcement/traffic safety programming look like in high economic hardship areas as tested through the multidisciplinary Vision Zero West Side (VZC) program in Chicago
This session will share how the Road to Zero (RTZ), which is a joint collaboration focused on ending traffic fatalities on our roadways within 30 years and how VZC fits into this solution. The National Safety Council (NSC) leads the RTZ initiative as a partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). There are three interconnected efforts are involved with RTZ:
1.    Grants. NSC, as the leader of the Coalition, administers a $1 million per year (for 3 years) for System Safety Innovation Grants going to organizations committed to roadway safety.
2.    Coalition. The Road to Zero coalition is made up of over 250 unique organizations wanting to be part of the solution. Members are from academia, trade associations, advocacy groups, law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS), private industry, survivor advocates, governmental agencies and beyond working together to reach ZERO roadway fatalities.  RTZ Coalition holds quarterly meetings in the Washington, DC area open to everyone and webcast.
3.    Report. RTZ provides the data and information to develop a future planning document to reach zero roadway fatalities by 2050. This document will be used by policymakers to develop the programs and solutions necessary.

Vision Zero is Chicago’s initiative is to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries from traffic crashes by the year 2026. A multi-departmental Vision Zero Steering Committee led by the Mayor’s Office and four Working Groups have identified goals and strategies to increase traffic safety, with a three-year Vision Zero Chicago Action Plan. This data-driven process established City priorities and identified the resources – and gaps in resources – to meet benchmark reduction goals for fatalities and serious injuries by 2020.
Vision Zero West Side includes elected officials, community organizations, faith leaders, business owners, schools, parks, CDOT, CPD, and other City departments working with Chicago residents to reduce fatalities and serious injuries resulting from traffic crashes. This will ultimately be a community-directed process to identify community concerns for traffic safety and actions desired to remove barriers to safe mobility. It is of primary importance for residents and community leaders to have ultimate ownership of traffic safety in their neighborhood.
Unlike traditional traffic safety programs, the Vision Zero West pilot does not measure success by the number of citations written during enforcement events.  Regressive fines have not been shown to accomplish improve safe driving rather they alienate communities already experiencing high economic hardship.  A successful VZGP pilot will result in positive interactions, increased understanding, and altered behaviors

The Chicago Vision Zero West Side pilot approach is an inclusive community outreach process to:
    - Build community members’ ownership of and influence on traffic safety
    - Coordinate open dialog and community-focused problem solving
    - Encourage and facilitate the participation of all community members
    - Inspire community action through public outreach and encouragement
    - Provide educational resources and tools tailored to the specific community, including both online and physical resources
    - Host accessible, informative, and enjoyable outreach and encouragement events and attend events within the community
    - Ensure that all hosted events include child and youth-focused activities
    - Unite disconnected agencies and organizations to increase understanding and awareness and to influence positive behavioral change
    - Improve the relationship between community members and City agencies, including police districts

The project is kicking off in May 2017 and continuing for 12 months.
The Vision Zero West Side pilot is a recipient of a Road to Zero Safe Systems Innovation Grant designed as a model which could role out nationally to get to zero roadway fatalities.  This program will operate to:
   - Unite disconnected agencies and organizations to increase understanding and awareness and to influence positive behavioral change. This has already been established through the Vision Zero Action Plan process.
 - Build community members’ ownership of and influence on traffic safety mid-grant results August 2017
 - Coordinate open dialog and community-focused problem solving mid-grant results August 2017
 - Encourage and facilitate the participation of all community members mid-grant results August 2017
  - Inspire community action through public outreach and encouragement mid-grant results August 2017
    - Provide educational resources and tools tailored to the community, including both online and physical resources mid-grant results August 2017
    - Host accessible, informative, and enjoyable outreach and encouragement events and attend events within the community mid-grant results August 2017
    - Improve the relationship between community members and City agencies, including police districts by December 2017
Success means moving beyond the business-as-usual approach and requires meaningful collaboration across disciplines and traditional boundaries; a strong sense of urgency and accountability; and stepped-up action, including the willingness to consider new, innovative and pioneering approaches to stop the upward trend of those dying on our roadways on a local level.

Traffic fatalities and injuries are preventable
The collective impact of nearly a dozen City of Chicago departments/agencies working together on improving the safety of Chicagoans living in communities of high hardship, is a collaborative cross disciplinary effort to work together with partner agencies (many for the first time) to refocus enforcement efforts to protect the safety of all users, particularly the most vulnerable. We believe learnings from this program can be shared and replicated elsewhere.
Enforcement is a necessary reminder that traffic laws are a social compact with one another that can keep our entire community safe. It will take all of us to change the safety culture and zero traffic deaths sounds like a lofty goal, but it's attainable based on a few driving principles:
A future with zero traffic deaths is more certain than ever with the emergence of technology solutions  and the Safe Systems transportation approach
A coordinated effort that brings together multiple stakeholders with the same goal can achieve more than individual organizations working independently
The initiative builds on the national behavior change in traffic safety by expanding the discussion to include not only representatives of roadway, behavioral and vehicle safety, but also nonprofit groups, public health officials and technology companies – dozens of organizations working together to develop a coordinated approach to highway safety.  
Together we are on the Road to ZERO.