Sacramento, California Local News
Serious crashes rise despite Sacramento’s ‘Vision Zero’ plan to curb them by 2027
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The city of Sacramento is approaching a deadline it set for itself to curb serious crashes by 2027, but it has gotten further and further away from achieving that goal.Since the city adopted its Vision Zero Action Plan in 2018, the number of crashes with serious injuries or deaths has actually been increasing over the years. Dirk Couvson was 20 years old when a hit-and-run driver crashed into him as he rode his motorcycle home from work just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7.He was turning from the Business 80 offramp onto Arden Way. “I look to my left, and I see a car coming straight at me,” Couvson said.Police said the driver of that car ran a red light.“After I got hit, I was in the air for a little bit, and I was kind of frozen,” he said.With a bluetooth headset in his helmet, Couvson called his mom.“He said, ‘Mom, I got hit by a car,’” Lythia Bouie said. “That was my worst fear.”She said she was panicking as she heard him explain something was wrong with his leg.“My mind was all over the place, and I was thinking like, you know, is this going to be the last time I hear my son’s voice?” Bouie wondered.An ambulance rushed Couvson to the hospital. Surgeons amputated his left leg.“It makes me really angry because it’s still happening in that same area,” Bouie said.One month after Couvson’s crash on Arden Way east of Harvard Street, a man was killed in a crash on a nearby stretch of Arden Way.“Something needs to be done,” Bouie said.To find out what is being done, KCRA 3 Investigates went to the city of Sacramento’s Transportation Division.“We’re aware of the issues,” said Jennifer Donlon Wyant, Sacramento’s Transportation Planning Manager. “We applied for a grant about a year and a half ago to look at that corridor, and we were unsuccessful.”She explained Arden Way is on the city’s list of the top 10 most dangerous corridors. The areas were identified for improvements as part of Vision Zero. “Vision Zero’s philosophy is that crashes are not accidents because they’re preventable,” Donlon Wyant said.Therefore, in an effort to try to prevent them, the city adopted an action plan in 2018.The goal was to bring crashes with serious injuries or deaths down to zero by 2027.However, as that deadline gets closer, those major crashes have increased. Data from Sacramento Police shows there were 49 crashes resulting in serious injuries or deaths in 2024 compared with 28 in 2019.Despite the climb, the city believes the numbers might have been even worse if it weren’t for the efforts of Vision Zero.“I like to think that the investments that we’ve made have saved lives,” Donlon Wyant said.She pointed to significant road projects, like on Broadway where construction is underway to reconfigure and reduce traffic lanes.The city said these changes are data-proven countermeasures. However, the process to slow down drivers is slow itself.“Generally, it can take anywhere between eight and 20 years,” she said.That timeline is per project, she said, partly because of the time it takes to get local, state and federal grants. Funding that is necessary to secure because the construction is expensive.“Anywhere from $12-20 million a mile,” Donlon Wyant said.This brings us back to the challenges at Arden Way.While the city was denied funding the first time around, it tried again this year.“We’re really excited that we were selected for this grant,” Donlon Wyant said.In July, Caltrans announced the 2024-2025 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant winners. Sacramento applied for a $399,120 grant, aiming to dedicate part of that funding toward forming a safety and mobility plan for Arden Way from Del Paso Boulevard to Ethan Way.The city will work to analyze existing conditions to develop a “community-driven vision to transform” the Arden Way corridor to improve safety.The efforts would hopefully prevent serious crashes like the one Couvson is still recovering from.Sacramento police never found the driver who hit him. “I try to draw off his energy and his strength. He’s like, ‘It’s okay, mom. I know my leg is gone, but I still have my hands. I can still hug. I still hold Kai. I still go fishing,” Bouie said of her son. Since the crash, Couvson has been focusing on raising his 1-year-old daughter, Kaili, and going to physical therapy.Sacramento is not the only city facing this problem. Traffic deaths nationwide have been on the rise as well.Some factors may include speeding, more distracted driving and cars that are bigger now, which makes them more deadly for pedestrians and cyclists. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
The city of Sacramento is approaching a deadline it set for itself to curb serious crashes by 2027, but it has gotten further and further away from achieving that goal.
Since the city adopted its Vision Zero Action Plan in 2018, the number of crashes with serious injuries or deaths has actually been increasing over the years.
Dirk Couvson was 20 years old when a hit-and-run driver crashed into him as he rode his motorcycle home from work just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7.
He was turning from the Business 80 offramp onto Arden Way.
“I look to my left, and I see a car coming straight at me,” Couvson said.
Police said the driver of that car ran a red light.
“After I got hit, I was in the air for a little bit, and I was kind of frozen,” he said.
With a bluetooth headset in his helmet, Couvson called his mom.
“He said, ‘Mom, I got hit by a car,’” Lythia Bouie said. “That was my worst fear.”
She said she was panicking as she heard him explain something was wrong with his leg.
“My mind was all over the place, and I was thinking like, you know, is this going to be the last time I hear my son’s voice?” Bouie wondered.
An ambulance rushed Couvson to the hospital. Surgeons amputated his left leg.
“It makes me really angry because it’s still happening in that same area,” Bouie said.
One month after Couvson’s crash on Arden Way east of Harvard Street, a man was killed in a crash on a nearby stretch of Arden Way.
“Something needs to be done,” Bouie said.
To find out what is being done, KCRA 3 Investigates went to the city of Sacramento’s Transportation Division.
“We’re aware of the issues,” said Jennifer Donlon Wyant, Sacramento’s Transportation Planning Manager. “We applied for a grant about a year and a half ago to look at that corridor, and we were unsuccessful.”
She explained Arden Way is on the city’s list of the top 10 most dangerous corridors. The areas were identified for improvements as part of Vision Zero.
“Vision Zero’s philosophy is that crashes are not accidents because they’re preventable,” Donlon Wyant said.
Therefore, in an effort to try to prevent them, the city adopted an action plan in 2018.
The goal was to bring crashes with serious injuries or deaths down to zero by 2027.
However, as that deadline gets closer, those major crashes have increased.
Data from Sacramento Police shows there were 49 crashes resulting in serious injuries or deaths in 2024 compared with 28 in 2019.
Despite the climb, the city believes the numbers might have been even worse if it weren’t for the efforts of Vision Zero.
“I like to think that the investments that we’ve made have saved lives,” Donlon Wyant said.
She pointed to significant road projects, like on Broadway where construction is underway to reconfigure and reduce traffic lanes.
The city said these changes are data-proven countermeasures. However, the process to slow down drivers is slow itself.
“Generally, it can take anywhere between eight and 20 years,” she said.
That timeline is per project, she said, partly because of the time it takes to get local, state and federal grants. Funding that is necessary to secure because the construction is expensive.
“Anywhere from $12-20 million a mile,” Donlon Wyant said.
This brings us back to the challenges at Arden Way.
While the city was denied funding the first time around, it tried again this year.
“We’re really excited that we were selected for this grant,” Donlon Wyant said.
In July, Caltrans announced the 2024-2025 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant winners. Sacramento applied for a $399,120 grant, aiming to dedicate part of that funding toward forming a safety and mobility plan for Arden Way from Del Paso Boulevard to Ethan Way.
The city will work to analyze existing conditions to develop a “community-driven vision to transform” the Arden Way corridor to improve safety.
The efforts would hopefully prevent serious crashes like the one Couvson is still recovering from.
Sacramento police never found the driver who hit him.
“I try to draw off his energy and his strength. He’s like, ‘It’s okay, mom. I know my leg is gone, but I still have my hands. I can still hug. I still hold Kai. I still go fishing,” Bouie said of her son.
Since the crash, Couvson has been focusing on raising his 1-year-old daughter, Kaili, and going to physical therapy.
Sacramento is not the only city facing this problem. Traffic deaths nationwide have been on the rise as well.
Some factors may include speeding, more distracted driving and cars that are bigger now, which makes them more deadly for pedestrians and cyclists.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
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