Take the pledge to help end traffic deaths and serious injury collisions in Bellevue!
We have a problem on our roads; over the past decade:
- On average someone was killed or seriously injured every 15 days on Bellevue streets.
- People walking and biking in Bellevue were involved in only 5% of crashes but made up 46% of all deaths and serious injuries from those crashes.
- The following five driving behaviors contributed to 71% of all fatal and serious injury crashes on Bellevue streets: driver failing to yield to a non-motorist, inattention or distracted driving, not granting right-of-way to a vehicle, impairment by alcohol or drugs, and speeding.
This is unacceptable.
The City of Bellevue aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious-injury collisions on city streets by 2030. To achieve this goal, the City Council adopted the Safe System approach. It is based on the belief that deaths and serious injuries on our streets are preventable; they are not accidents. It accepts that people will make mistakes and that crashes will continue to occur, but it works to make sure these do not result in serious injuries or fatalities.
Bellevue is taking action.
The city has a variety of teams and programs that plan for safe environments, implement safe infrastructure and promote safe speeds. From building new sidewalks and bike lanes to adjusting pedestrian signal timing, safe improvements are added across the city every year. In the past few years, Bellevue has:
- Assessed all signalized intersections in the city to make them safer for people walking. So far, 105 intersections have been upgraded with leading pedestrian intervals to give people walking a head start and more time to cross safely; 50 of those were installed in 2023 and 2024 alone.
- Completed School Zone Road Safety Assessments which analyzed safety concerns in school zones and surrounding neighborhoods. They identified ways we can make these areas safer, which are now being implemented.
- Secured over $4.1 million in federal grants to conduct planning activities such as road safety audits, pilots of new video analytics technologies, and demonstration activities for signal operations and crossing markings to ensure we use proven safety strategies.
- Completed 32 safety improvements identified from additional road safety assessments on NE 8th Street and Factoria Boulevard SE. An additional 26 safety improvements are planned in future projects, 18 are in current grant applications, and eight are under evaluation.
To learn more about Vision Zero, the Safe System approach and other projects helping to achieve our goal, visit BellevueWA.gov/visionzero.
It takes all of us to tackle a problem this large.
You can be a part of the solution and help us reach the goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injury collisions in Bellevue by committing to the following:
- I will be aware of who the most vulnerable people on the road are and safely share the street with people walking, biking and using a mobility aid.
- I will put away my phone and other distractions while driving.
- I will fully stop at stop signs and red lights and properly yield the right of way.
- I will drive sober, plan ahead or call for a ride, take transit, stay the night or walk if I’ve had anything that could impair my ability to safely be on the road.