San Francisco's traffic deaths fall by 42% in dramatic turn, new data shows

"After years of climbing traffic deaths in San Francisco, the city turned a corner in 2025, with fatalities dropping by 42% from a year earlier. There were 25 traffic deaths in 2025, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the fewest since 2017. In 2024, when the city saw multiple " rare, high severity crashes," there were 43 deaths."

"The decrease, though, is another reminder of the failure of San Francisco's "Vision Zero" program. Adopted in 2014, the initiative aimed to eliminate traffic deaths by 2024. Out of all the traffic deaths, 19 of them happened on the Vision Zero High Injury Network, which is a data-driven map of the corridors with the highest number of traffic deaths and severe injuries. The SFMTA noted that seniors were especially vulnerable to traffic fatalities in 2025."

"Almost half of the people killed, 12, were at least 70 years old, the data shows. And for pedestrians specifically, all but five people who died were older than 70. Last year, there were 16 pedestrian deaths, a 29% drop from the 24 pedestrian deaths in the previous year. The SFMTA's data shows that 2024 was the deadliest year for pedestrians since Vision Zero was adopted."

San Francisco recorded 25 traffic deaths in 2025, a 42% decrease from 43 fatalities in 2024 and the fewest since 2017. Nineteen fatalities occurred on the Vision Zero High Injury Network, the corridors with the highest numbers of deaths and severe injuries. Seniors were heavily impacted, with 12 victims aged 70 or older, and nearly all pedestrian deaths involved older adults. There were 16 pedestrian deaths in 2025, down 29% from the previous year; seven people were killed while driving and one while cycling. The city implemented measures such as daylighting, infrastructure changes, and speed cameras and plans continued emphasis on speed cameras and visibility enforcement.

Read at SFGATE