EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso saw roadway fatalities fall 36.1% from 2023 to 2025, according to a new city update on its Vision Zero traffic-safety program.
The city reported 53 roadway fatalities in 2025, and said the decline outpaced the national reduction of 10.5% during the same period.
From 2024 to 2025, El Paso’s roadway fatalities decreased nearly 24.3%, compared with a 6.7% decline nationally, according to the presentation presented at City Council.
City Council adopted the Vision Zero Action Plan in June 2023, setting a goal of reducing traffic deaths to zero through infrastructure changes, education and community collaboration.
WS 2 Vision Zero UpdatePDF previewPreview PDF
WS 2 Vision Zero Update
The program follows the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System Approach, which treats serious and fatal crashes as preventable rather than inevitable. The city’s presentation also emphasizes using the term “crash” instead of “accident,” saying the language better reflects the role of roadway design, driver behavior and other systemic factors.
Pedestrian safety data also showed improvement. From 2020 through 2024, El Paso’s pedestrian fatality rate dropped to 2.33 deaths per 100,000 residents — a decline of more than 20% compared with the 2015-19 period. Smart Growth America’s 2026 ‘Dangerous by Design’ report listed El Paso among 20 of the nation’s 101 largest metro areas that improved pedestrian fatality rates, the city said.
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The update outlines several projects now underway or planned:
A $9.9 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant will fund improvements along North Yarbrough Drive, Safe Routes to School programming, Vision Zero education and quick-build safety projects.The city plans to use $5.8 million in bond funds for Safe Routes to Parks intersection and traffic-safety improvements, with construction estimated to begin in summer 2027.Seven quick-build projects were selected after the city received 53 public applications. The projects include locations near downtown, the Downtown and Mission Valley transit centers, and intersections along West Yandell Drive, Franklin Avenue, East Rio Grande Avenue and South Campbell Street.A $10,000 grant will support curb extensions, crosswalks and signs on South Campbell Street near Lydia Patterson Institute, an area identified on the city’s High Injury Network.
The city also said it is updating its 2016 Bike Plan. More than 1,019 survey responses were collected during community engagement events this spring, and a draft plan is expected to be released for public review by the end of 2026.
“Every traffic fatality has a lasting impact on a family and our community,” Mayor Renard U. Johnson said. “Vision Zero gives us a data-driven approach to identify where we can make our streets safer and invest resources where they can have the greatest impact. Our goal is to continue building a transportation system that is safer for everyone.”
Joaquin Rodriguez, the city’s Capital Improvement Department director, said the program helps the city move from identifying problem areas to acting on them.
“Vision Zero allows us to move from identifying where serious crashes are occurring to taking targeted action,” Rodriguez said. “By using data to guide our investments, we can focus improvements where they are most needed while continuing to pursue projects and partnerships that make our streets safer for everyone who uses them.”
More information about Vision Zero is available at ElPasoTexas.gov/VisionZero.
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