Organization bids to prevent accidents through ‘Polk Vision Zero Action Plan’

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County leaders are launching an initiative aimed at cracking down on deadly crashes.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there have been over 9,000 crashes in the county so far this year, and 75 of those were deadly.

With a booming population in Polk County, there are more people on the road, walking and biking, so to keep the community safe, county leaders are taking proactive measures through an action plan.

Just by looking at a map, Ryan Kordek can tell you which areas are hot spots for traffic accidents.

“Spirit Lake Road, 42nd Street Northwest, portions of U.S. 27,” he said.

Kordek is the executive director of the county’s Transportation Planning Organization, or TPO.

He said the area has seen significant growth since 2020 and in correlation, the number of traffic accidents has increased.

“There’s a lot of delay, there’s a lot of inconvenience, and an effect on people’s lives,” Kordek said.

According to the DMV, there have been 75 deadly traffic accidents in the county since January. 

It’s a number Kordek wants to bring to zero through the Polk Vision Zero Action Plan.

“This is a way for us to address and kind of evaluate and figure out where are those locations, where are the worst intersections, where are the worst roads, and from there, we’ll develop a course of action,” he said.

It’s a safety initiative aimed at eliminating all traffic fatalities by identifying ways to prevent them. The plan began with an initial online feedback portion. 

Now they’re looking to involve the public, presenting them with the accident findings.

Kordek believes it is information that will help keep people safe.

“It’s one thing if you’re five or 10 minutes late, and it’s something else if you don’t even make it there, and that’s what we really want to improve,” he said.

Building a safer community for old and new residents.

A Vision Zero community meeting took place on Tuesday, and findings about traffic accidents were presented.