Something Needs to Change
Every year, people in New Orleans lose family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to traffic crashes – crashes that are often dismissed as unavoidable “accidents.” The Safe Streets for All (SS4A) New Orleans Safety Action Plan is a shift in how we approach street safety, starting with the clear and urgent belief: traffic deaths and life-altering injuries are preventable.
Between 2019 and 2023, 297 people were killed and 1,864 people were seriously injured on New Orleans streets. In total, over 47,000 injuries were reported across nearly 85,000 total crashes. We're taking action to change this reality because no one should be at risk just moving through their neighborhood.
The impacts of these fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes in our community are not felt equally, either. Men were 3.4 times more likely to be killed and 1.5 times more likely to be severely injured than women. Nearly half (46%) of all FSIs were adults aged 25 to 44, despite that age group being just 31% of the population of New Orleans.
Over five years 560 people were killed or severely injured while bicycling and walking made up 26% of all fatalities and serious injuries. People walking or riding motorcycles were more than 16 times as likely to be killed or seriously injured as people inside cars, and people bicycling were nearly 11 times as likely.
The SS4A Project Team has identified the streets with the highest frequency of serious crashes (known as a High Injury Network along with an in-depth analysis of crash factors. These results are available by viewing this summary presentation.
Recommended safety actions and projects will be shared on this website and in upcoming public meetings.
First Look at the Plan
This fall, the City will share parts of the draft plan—online and at community events—to gather your feedback.
The graphic below shows proposed priority corridors for safety upgrades, including traffic calming and stronger enforcement. The plan sets bold goals: cut traffic deaths and serious injuries in half by 2031—and eliminate them entirely by 2041.
Meet the project team and share your thoughts at these upcoming events:
Tuesday 10/21, 4:30pm-6:30pm: Night Out Against Crime, Rosenwald Recreation Center, 1120 S. Broad Street
Saturday 10/25: Treme Fall Festival, 1210 Governor Nicholls Street
Thursday 10/30 4pm-6pm: Boo in Michoud Trunk or Treat + Vaccination Event, VIET, 13435 Granville Street
Saturday 11/1 9am-1pm: 2025 Neighborhood Summit, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall E
Sunday 11/2 10am-Noon: Bicycle Second Line, The Broadside, 600 N. Broad Street
Details will be available soon for additional events, including a virtual meeting in November and in-person meetings in December.
What We've Heard
To date, the project team has collected over 25,000 data points from nearly 2,000 participants. From May to August, the SS4A Project Team hosted an interactive Safety Summit, conducted an opt-in survey and public polling, and gathered safety input through an interactive online map. Participants learned about safety trends, identified specific needs, and shared priorities for making New Orleans streets safer for transportation.
Nearly 1,500 people responded to surveys, pointing to poor road design, lack of infrastructure, and risky and illegal behaviors as major reasons for the high number of deaths and serious injuries. The top factors they cited were:
In general, these results tell us that residents want safer walking and biking routes, reduced vehicle speeds, and more visible/accessible pedestrian crossings.
Review additional public input results in this summary presentation.
Sign the Pledge!
What is the Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan?
The Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan is a coordinated, citywide effort to understand and address the root causes of fatal and serious crashes. It will:
- Use crash history and predictive analysis
- Build on community input
- Recommend projects, policies, and programs that improve safety and mobility for all
This work is grounded in the Safe Systems Approach, a nationally recognized model that focuses on designing roadways to anticipate human mistakes and reduce the severity of crashes.
The Safe Systems Approach is built on six principles:
- Death and serious injury are unacceptable
- Humans make mistakes
- Humans are vulnerable
- Responsibility is shared
- Safety is proactive
- Redundancy is crucial
To put these principles into action, we’ll focus on the five Safe Systems Elements:
- Safe Road Users
- Safe Vehicles
- Safe Speeds
- Safe Roads
- Post-Crash Care
The SS4A New Orleans Safety Action Plan builds on past efforts and lays the groundwork for state and federal investment. By working together, we can secure funding to implement real, lasting changes across our neighborhoods.
Let’s build a safer New Orleans together.
New Orleans Safety and Mobility Summit
On May 17th, the City of New Orleans hosted an interactive workshop to involve the community in the Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan. Attendees learned about recent traffic safety trends, helped identify specific locations to make improvements, and shared priorities for policies and programming to make New Orleans streets safer for transportation.
