Transportation Safety Action Plan
Let’s Build Safer Streets for Everyone, Together
Everyone should feel safe and comfortable on Thurston County’s streets—whether on foot, using a mobility device, riding a bike, on a bus, or driving a car. Our Transportation Safety Action Plan invites you to join us in making that happen.
Help Make Our Roads Safer
Share your insights with us by taking a quick survey, which features an interactive web map to pinpoint exactly where you have safety concerns in Thurston County. You can also scroll past the survey and comment on the web map. Your input will directly shape our Safety Action Plan!
Why Safe Streets Matter
Each year, over 40,000 people lose their lives on America's roads. In 2023, more than 800 of those fatalities occurred in Washington. Thurston County had 34 fatal crashes and 166 serious injury crashes between 2019 and 2023.
To put it in perspective: That’s 100 people every day in the U.S. whose futures are cut short, with countless more people forever changed by grief and loss. Crash victims’ loved ones may struggle with trauma, grief, or economic hardship. Survivors might have to learn to live with a temporary or permanent disability. Witnesses to a crash can be deeply impacted, and the guilt of being responsible for a crash can linger for a lifetime.
To reduce and ultimately eliminate tragedies like these, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) created a new National Roadway Safety Strategy, setting a goal of zero roadway deaths. In support of that strategy, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program to fund roadway safety projects across the country.
What are we doing in Thurston County?
We launched our Safe Streets for All efforts in the summer of 2024, and by the spring of 2025, we aim to adopt a Transportation Safety Action Plan. This plan is driven by the Safe System Approach, which asserts that while crashes may be inevitable, death and serious injuries resulting from those crashes are not—they are preventable. This approach emphasizes:
- Designing with human error in mind: Road design should anticipate common mistakes and prevent these from resulting in severe harm or fatalities.
- Designing for safe speeds: Street design and management should naturally encourage safe driving speeds that reduce both the likelihood and severity of crashes.
Roundabouts are examples of designing with the Safe System Approach in mind. For example, roundabouts help reduce severe crashes by managing traffic flow and reducing conflict points—a great illustration of the Safe System Approach in action. Find out more about roundabouts here.
Questions?
We want to hear from you. If you have any questions about the project, feel free to email the Project Manager, Becky Conn, at becky.conn@co.thurston.wa.us.