Public Health Involvement in United States' Vision Zero Initiatives: A Mixed-Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Transportation Safety
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Vision Zero (VZ) is a strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
• Public health officials are recognized as key stakeholders in VZ initiatives.
• The extent of public health involvement in U.S. VZ efforts remains largely unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the involvement of public health officials in the development and implementation of Vision Zero plans across the United States.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative analysis of VZ plans with qualitative in-depth interviews.
• 43 Vision Zero plans (municipal and regional) published between 2014-2022 were reviewed.
• 22 interviews were conducted with municipal and regional VZ coordinators.

Main Results:

• Public health officials were mentioned in 67.4% of VZ plans during development, particularly in community engagement and data provision.
• During implementation, public health involvement included community engagement, data analysis, and funding identification.
• Interviews provided deeper insights into the multifaceted roles of public health in VZ.

Conclusions:

• Public health officials play a documented role in both the development and implementation phases of Vision Zero initiatives.
• The findings highlight opportunities for enhanced public health integration into traffic safety strategies.
• This research quantifies public health contributions to Vision Zero, supporting evidence-based policy.