Traffic fatalities are up in Tacoma. Would lowering the speed limit help reduce them?

To eliminate deaths and severe injuries in car crashes, Tacoma is looking at lowering speed limits in parts of the city.

The speed limit reduction initiative is a part of the nationwide campaign Vision Zero. The City Council will consider changing the speed limit on Tacoma’s residential streets from 25 mph to 20 mph and in four neighborhood business districts to 25 mph, from 30 mph. The neighborhood business districts are 6th Avenue, Old Town (North 30th Street), Lincoln (South G Street, South 38th St.) and McKinley. Proctor and South Tacoma are already 25 mph.

Public Works will have a Vision Zero drop-in open house from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the STAR Center, 3873 S. 66th St. Participants can provide feedback on the Vision Zero Action Plan draft, which was completed after a community survey, public engagement, and review by the Vision Zero Task Force.

According to the action plan, the survey found 47% of respondents said they or someone they are close to were involved in a serious crash, with 26% having experienced no or mild injuries, 17% having been treated for serious injuries and 3% having died as a result of the crash. Respondents said the top issues affecting safety on roadways included people driving too fast, people not yielding or stopping at intersections and distracted driving.

The Tacoma City Council passed an ordinance in 2020 to work toward the Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the city by 2035. Vision Zero moves from the traditional approach that traffic deaths are inevitable to an approach that traffic deaths are preventable. The strategy recognizes that people will sometimes make mistakes, and the road system and related policies should be designed to ensure those mistakes don’t result in severe injuries or fatalities.

In 2020, the City Council also launched a “20 is Plenty” campaign to encourage drivers to go 20 mph on residential streets.

Carrie Wilhelme, senior transportation planner, said at a study session earlier this month that lower speed limits save lives and speed is the most critical factor in determining the severity of a crash.

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, so far in 2022, there have been 10 fatal crashes and 28 suspected serious injury crashes in Tacoma. Of the 38 crashes, nine were speed related.

Josh Diekmann, city traffic engineer, said at the study session that serious injury and fatality crashes have been rising in the country over the last couple of years. Last year, 101 people in Tacoma were killed or seriously injured in a traffic crash, a 36% increase from 2020.

“These crashes represent not just life-changing event for the families that are involved, but they also represent significant societal costs,” he said. “The Washington State Department of Transportation estimates that each serious injury or fatality crash has a societal cost of over $3 million, representing property damage, medical costs and loss of productivity to individuals and businesses.”

Open house participants can learn about the “20 is Plenty” speed limit reduction plan. Free yard signs supporting safer streets will be available. Sound Transit and Pierce Transit staff will speak about planned expansions and associated pedestrian and bicycle improvements. Kids can design a child-friendly street at an interactive station.

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 1:02 PM.