As per the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 119 traffic deaths in the city in 2020. That number matches the 2019 total, and it approaches the 1997 record of 137. According to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the true number of traffic fatalities in Philly stands at 125 for the 2020 year. That’s because some traffic deaths haven’t been recorded in official city records yet.
A Recent Fatality
Police have revealed that about 60% of the traffic fatalities were drivers or passengers of motor vehicles, while about 40% were bicyclists or pedestrians. In a recent crash, a 47-year-old driver died at the scene of a crash, and a male pedestrian of undetermined age was critically injured by the 22-year-old driver of a Kia SUV. The Kia driver is alleged to have been traveling the wrong way on Jasper Street near Allegheny Avenue at about 6:30 a.m.
Pedestrian Fatalities in Philadelphia Have Skyrocketed
The rate of pedestrian deaths in Philadelphia is more than twice that of the national rate. That drastic increase has been attributed to increased pedestrian traffic in densely populated areas and a temporary decrease in automobile usage as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Although gasoline plummeted to its lowest price level in decades, those drivers who continued to use the roads drove at excessive speeds more often because of far fewer other vehicles on roads.
As per the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 119 traffic deaths in the city in 2020. That number matches the 2019 total, and it approaches the 1997 record of 137. According to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the true number of traffic fatalities in Philly stands at 125 for the 2020 year. That’s because some traffic deaths haven’t been recorded in official city records yet.
A Recent Fatality
Police have revealed that about 60% of the traffic fatalities were drivers or passengers of motor vehicles, while about 40% were bicyclists or pedestrians. In a recent crash, a 47-year-old driver died at the scene of a crash, and a male pedestrian of undetermined age was critically injured by the 22-year-old driver of a Kia SUV. The Kia driver is alleged to have been traveling the wrong way on Jasper Street near Allegheny Avenue at about 6:30 a.m.
Vision Zero
Vision Zero is an international traffic safety program that is intended to achieve a road system with no fatalities or severe injuries. A spokesman for the city’s Office of Transportation Infrastructure and Sustainability remarked that Philadelphia’s Vision Zero efforts should be more important than ever. So, aside from greater traffic law enforcement in Philadelphia, how can the city achieve zero traffic deaths in the future?
PennDot Must Work With the City
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is not a member of Vision Zero, but it controls many major city traffic arteries that are marked as state routes. It claims to partner with the city in Vision Zero, and it supports Philadelphia’s participation in the initiative. In West Philadelphia, PennDot implemented traffic safety modifications on Cobbs Creek Parkway, but other dangerous areas of road exist on major city streets like Roosevelt Boulevard and Kelly Drive. Just last month, a driver died in a crash on Roosevelt Boulevard when he lost control of the van he was driving, hit a wall, flipped over it, rolled down an embankment and came to a halt on the van’s roof. Other traffic safety measures are being planned and put in place by PennDot to make Philadelphia a safer city to drive in, especially on Roosevelt Boulevard which has a historically high rate of traffic accidents.