Vision Zero is the goal for zero traffic deaths and serious injuries on Portland streets. Vision Zero was adopted by City Council in 2016. This data helps inform traffic safety programs and infrastructure in Portland, including work by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).

Traffic deaths and serious injuries are indicators of overall traffic safety conditions, but they may not track each other exactly. The number of traffic deaths and serious injuries in Portland has increased in the last twenty years. The numbers fluctuated in the late 2010s and increased with the Covid-19 pandemic. East Portland continues to have nearly twice the number of pedestrian deaths per capita compared to the rest of Portland. Areas that score higher on PBOT’s Equity Matrix have three times the number of pedestrian deaths per capita compared to the rest of Portland. These areas are where our investment in infrastructure and services is critical.

The goal is zero traffic deaths and serious injuries. What’s known as a “Safe System approach” outlines how the City of Portland gets there. The top contributing factors to crashes are speed, wide streets, large vehicles, driver impairment, and nighttime. To address these factors, a Safe System approach focuses on five elements:

1. Safe speeds, with street designs that slow vehicles down (PBOT leads).

2. Safe streets that protect people (PBOT leads).

3. Safe people, with community fostering a culture of shared responsibility (Community leads, all Bureaus).

4. Safe vehicles, with policies and technology that protects people inside and outside of the vehicle (City Fleet and Federal agency partners lead).

5. Post-crash emergency response that quickly provides care to increase the likelihood of crash survival (PFNR, PPB, and Multnomah County EMS lead).

These elements work together to create a safe, redundant transportation system. Learn more about specific programs, street designs, speed management strategies, and inter-agency work on the City of Portland’s Vision Zero website, including additional data on crash trends, traffic safety project evaluations, and the Vision Zero program dashboard.

Data is reported by calendar year to match state and federal standards. The data owner of all official crash records is the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Crash data is reported with a delay of 12-18 months after the calendar year. Timing is dependent on data releases by ODOT. Preliminary estimates of traffic deaths in recent years are based on Portland Police Bureau fatal crash investigations. Fatal and serious injury crash data is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The data is specific to traffic crashes occurring within Portland city limits.

NHTSA defines fatal crashes to exclude people who die:

• More than 30 days after a crash

• Intentionally (suicide)

• In an act of homicide (a person intentionally crashes into another person)

• In a crash not involving a motor vehicle (e.g. a train)

• From a prior medical event (e.g. a heart attack or drug overdose)

• In a crash in a parking lot

A serious injury is defined by NHTSA as any injury other than fatal, that results in one or more of the following:

• Severe laceration resulting in exposure of underlying tissues/muscle/organs or resulting in significant loss of blood

• Broken or distorted extremity (arm or leg)

• Crush injuries

• Suspected skull, chest, or abdominal injury other than bruises or minor lacerations

• Significant burns (second and third degree burns over 10% or more of the body)

• Unconsciousness when taken from the crash scene

• Paralysis

More information on crash data reporting is available on PBOT’s website. Additional performance reporting about Vision Zero and traffic safety is available on the Vision Zero Dashboard.