Bellevue Unveils Plan To Curb Serious Injury, Fatal Accidents

BELLEVUE, WA — After nine people died in traffic collisions in Bellevue over a two-year period since 2019, city officials have been working to implement to a safety program that will eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by the year 2030.

City officials have collaborated on a Vision Zero strategic plan that uses what the city characterizes as a “safe systems” approach that was endorsed by the Belleville City Council last summer. The plan uses a four-pronged plan that is built around traffic speeds, people, vehicles and streets while also taking into consideration four other major components including data, leadership, partnerships and culture, city officials announced Monday.

The strategic plan was unveiled late last year after 1,354 collisions took place in Bellevue in 2019 that were reported to police. In those accidents, 502 people were injured, including 25 who sustained serious injuries and five people who were killed. While the number of annual accidents decreased by 13 percent between 2010 and 2019, the number of people either killed or serious injuries over that same time period increased by 50 percent (20 in 2010 to 30 in 2019), the report shows.

According to the study:

• Speeding contributes to 18 percent of fatal and serious injury collisions in Bellevue. Currently, Bellevue’s streets with a posted speed limit of 35 MPH or more account for 42 percent of fatalities and serious injuries but account for only 13 percent of total street mileage.
• Driver impairment through alcohol or drugs is cited as a factor in 17 percent of all fatal and serious injury collisions in Bellevue. Considering vehicle collisions only, one in four fatal and serious injury collisions in Bellevue involve a driver who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This is primarily a factor at night, as 84 percent of the fatalities and serious injuries that involve driver impairment occurs between 6 p.m and 3 a.m.
• Failing to yield to pedestrians contributes to 16 percent of all fatal and serious injury collisions in Bellevue and 41 percent of all pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries.

Compared with other cities across Washington, Bellevue had a lower rate of serious or fatal accidents. However, while the number of those accidents are trending downward in other communities across the state, Bellevue has seen an uptick in those accidents, which promoted city officials to take action.

“The completion of our Vision Zero strategic plan is a milestone in our effort to make Bellevue streets safer for everyone, no matter how they choose to get around,” Mayor Lynne Robinson said in a news release. “I’m looking forward to its implementation because doing so will help our community avoid the pain and loss caused by preventable traffic crashes. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the plan.”

As part of the Vision Zero plan, the city conducted its first pedestrian road safety assessment in March. The study took place on North Eighth Street, which has been identified as one of Bellevue’s high-injury corridors, the city reported. Thanks to a collaborative effort those who came up with the city’s strategic plan, regional, state and federal partners, the study will help to determine what improvements need to be made to make the roadway safer, officials said.

The study included work being done by a local community group, Complete Street Bellevue, which hosted walking audits on North Eighth Street in early March. The audits will assist city officials put together the safety assessment of the area to determine what action can be taken to keep people safer.

The goal, officials said, is to see significantly less serious or fatal accidents over the next nine years.

"The responsibility is shared: leaders make challenging decisions about traffic safety; staff leverages new technologies, creates partnerships with the public and private sectors and closely monitors data to assess results," Bellevue City Manager Brad Miyake wrote in the report. "Together, we develop a safety culture that acknowledges zero is the only acceptable number of deaths and serious injuries on our streets."