Oakland’s roads have become safer for motorists and pedestrians over the past few years.
That’s according to a recent report by the Safe Oakland Streets Initiative.
The Oaklandside reported the data was released last week during an advisory committee meeting regarding bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Jasmine Pomar, the chief of staff of the city’s transportation department, said traffic deaths in Oakland dropped from 36 in 2022 to 22 last year. That decrease is greater than the state and national averages for traffic fatalities over the same time span.
She credited increased enforcement and consistent monitoring of the city’s High Injury Network of streets.
Although overall traffic fatalities are down in Oakland, Pomar pointed out that African Americans and Latinos are still “overrepresented.” African Americans comprised nearly half of those injured or killed on Oakland streets, while Latinos made up about a quarter of the victims.
