HJ100: Vision Zero; recognizing the need to commit by advancing policies that will end roadway fatalities.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 100
WHEREAS, in 2020, 2.3 lives were lost and 18.6 people were seriously injured per day in the Commonwealth due to traffic crashes; and
WHEREAS, of the 847 people killed in the Commonwealth in 2020 due to traffic crashes, 614 were drivers, 119 were passengers, and 114 were pedestrians; and
WHEREAS, of the 6,798 people seriously injured in the Commonwealth in 2020 due to traffic crashes, 5,137 were drivers, 1,288 were passengers, and 373 were pedestrians; and
WHEREAS, some consider traffic deaths and severe injuries to be inevitable side effects of modern life, often referred to as “accidents,” but the reality is that such tragedies can be prevented by taking a proactive, preventative approach that prioritizes traffic safety as a public health issue; and
WHEREAS, Vision Zero recognizes that people will sometimes make mistakes, so the highway system and related policies should be designed to ensure those inevitable mistakes do not result in severe injuries or fatalities; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly recognizes the need to commit to Vision Zero by advancing policies that will end roadway fatalities by 2050 and cut them in half by 2030. In furtherance of this goal, the General Assembly calls on the Department of Transportation to (i) improve data gathering and tracking of traffic crashes and (ii) commit to the implementation of proven countermeasures and interventions to prioritize transportation safety.
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Department of Transportation in order that the members of the Department may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter during their deliberations.