Critical Crash Mitigation Campaign

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Could you pass drivers ed class today? Take the Vision Zero quiz to find out! Arlington County is constantly adding new roadway safety tools to make our streets safer for everyone. Whether you walk, bike, drive, ride, scoot, or roll, it’s important to know what these treatments are and how they apply to you. Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge of new and old rules of the road.

Arlington County first launched the Critical Crash Mitigation Campaign in 2022 as a way to foster safer driver behaviors by educating community members on the top safety risk factors seen in Arlington's crash data. We share the campaign through the Vision Zero website and newsletter, local advertisements, safety stakeholders, social media, and other Arlington newsletters and emails. 

The 2025 campaign launched in January and provides updated, year-round messaging around a different theme each month. The themes will be released on a rolling basis and have been identified through Arlington's Critical Crash Review team based on common factors involved in severe and fatal crashes in Arlington. See below for themes released so far:

  • January: Slower is safer for everyone - Multilingual Brochure | Horizontal Graphic  | Vertical Graphic
    • When driving, your speed matters. A person driving at 20mph has double the field of vision and can stop twice as quickly compared to a person driving 30mph. This January Arlington is expanding our speed safety camera program to help improve compliance with 20mph speed limits in school zones. Do your part by slowing down, it can save a life. Learn more here.
  • February: Safe lane changes - Multilingual Brochure | Horizontal Graphic | Vertical Graphic
    • Proper mirror settings prevent unsafe lane changes and blind spots. Simply adjusting your mirrors can make a huge difference in driving safely. Get a refresh on setting your mirrors to cover your blind spot for cars and motorcycles. 
  • Before you turn right, look for bikes. Before you open your door, look for bikes. Arlington is a bike-friendly community—look for and expect bikes as you drive and exit your vehicles to help make our streets safe for everyone. Learn more about why bike safety matters.
  • (PDF, 68KB)Construction season is here! Work zones involve large equipment, traffic pattern changes, lane closures, uneven pavement, variable speed limits, and – most importantly – workers. When driving near a work zone, lookout for highway workers, adhere to all signage, and drive distraction-free. Click here to learn more about work zone safety. 

 

 

See below for other critical crash mitigation campaign materials and information. 

In-Street Educational Signage

The 2023 relaunch also included expansion of the campaign to include an in-street element that targets people walking and biking. The in-street materials include messaging about safety tools to create awareness of (1) what they are and (2) why they are effective in enhancing safety. By increasing awareness about safety infrastructure, we will increase awareness about safe transportation practices. This tools-focused campaign component will start by educating roadway users about four types of tools identified in the Vision Zero Multimodal Engineering Safety Toolbox:

  • Curb modifications (i.e., bump outs)
  • Pedestrian crossings with leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) and 'No Turn on Red' signs 
  • Rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) at crosswalks
  • Bike boxes / two-stage bike turn boxes 

Vision Zero sign on sign post

2024 Campaign Content

  • January: Pedestrian Crashes in Dark Conditions - Multilingual Brochure | Horizontal Graphic  | Vertical Graphic
    • Winter presents many road challenges, one of which is longer hours in dark conditions. It is important to be extra vigilant while driving in the dark by going the speed limit and checking for pedestrians crossing the road. If you are crossing the road, cross in a designated crossing area.  
  • February: Safe Lane Changes - Multilingual Graphic  | Horizontal Graphic  | Vertical Graphic
    • Simply adjusting your mirrors can make a huge difference in driving safely. Get a refresh on setting your mirrors to cover your blind spots here.
  • March: School Slow Zones, 20MPH All Day, Every Day - Multilingual Graphic  | Horizontal Graphic | Vertical Graphic    

    • Arlington County code calls for permanent 20 mph speed limits on neighborhood streets within 600 feet of a school access point. These school zones are marked with signs and on the pavement throughout the county and are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (even on the weekends and during the summer). Learn more about our school zone retrofits initiative here. 

  • April: Minor distractions cause serious crashes. It's okay to pull over and pause. - Multilingual Graphic | Horizontal Graphic | Vertical Graphic 
    • April is distracted driving awareness month. At least 1 in 5 crashes in Arlington is related to distraction, but it's not always someone on their phone. Factors like adjusting vehicle settings, passengers, sun glare, eating, and operating GPS have all led to severe crashes. Remember that it's okay to pull over to pause rather than risk someone's life. 
  • August/September: Give Students a Brake! - Multilingual Graphic | Horizontal Graphic | Vertical Graphic   
    • As Back-to-School season kicks into gear, be on the lookout for 20 mph school zone speed limits and school crossings. Arlington County finished updating all school zones in the County this spring. Now we're doubling down on school zone speed limits with tactical speed humps on local roads and speed cameras on arterials roads. Slower is safer for everyone. 
  • September/October: Could you pass drivers ed class today? Take the Vision Zero quiz to find out! - Multilingual Graphic | Horizontal Graphic  
  • November: Pedestrian Crashes in Dark Conditions - Multilingual Brochure | Horizontal Graphic | Vertical Graphic

    • Winter presents many road challenges, one of which is longer hours in dark conditions. It is important to be extra vigilant while driving in the dark by going the speed limit and checking for pedestrians crossing the road. If you are crossing the road, cross in a designated crossing area.

 

2022 - 2023 Campaign Content

The 2022 and 2023 campaigns used the same messaging materials. The campaign was focused on changing human behaviors that are commonly involved in transportation crashes that result in severe or fatal injuries. The Vision Zero team used critical crash data to identify the following five themes to educate drivers about these key safety issues: 

Resources

Report a Safety Issue

Using the County’s Request for Service portal, pin/type the issue's location. Select “Transportation/Safety Investigation” and provide details, even photos.

 

Receive Vision Zero Updates

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