Traffic Fatalities, Injuries Spike In Bay Area

BAY AREA, CA – The number of traffic fatalities has spiked in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2010, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Last year 455 people died on Bay Area roadways, up from 318 in 2010 and 422 in 2013.

Officials with the commission said the number of fatalities has grown faster than vehicle miles traveled and population growth.

Pedestrians and bicyclists are also a growing share of the traffic fatalities, officials said. In 2016, 154 or 34 percent of all collisions ended in the death of a pedestrian or bicyclist, up from 95 or 30 percent in 2010.

Injuries from crashes and collisions have also risen since 2010 in the Bay Area. Last year 2,089 injuries occurred on Bay Area roads, up 25 percent from 2010.

According to commission officials, improved vehicle safety has reduced fatalities among occupants of vehicles while deaths among non-motorized travelers have gone up.

San Francisco is taking steps to reduce bicycle and pedestrian fatalities. City officials have launched the Vision Zero project to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024.

By Bay City News Service; Kristina Houck/Patch contributed to this report.

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