The City of Los Angeles failed to meet its goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2025, in part due to a lack of support from political leaders and poor coordination between departments, an audit found.

Nearly half of the 56 “actions and strategies” outlined in the Vision Zero Action Plan weren’t accomplished as of 2023, according to the audit from KPMG, which was released Friday, April 11. Initially, each of the goals had target dates in 2017 and 2020.

Former Mayor Eric Garcetti implemented the international strategy in 2015 in hopes of reducing and eventually eliminating traffic deaths by 2025. Instead, traffic deaths have continued to increase and remain on-par with the national average, with more than 330 traffic fatalities a year from 2021 through 2023, according to a report from the office of City Administrative Officer that accompanied the audit.

“Eliminating traffic deaths is an ambitious goal but remains the correct one,” said Colin Sweeney, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Transportation, in a statement. “LADOT will continue to pursue and promote policy changes along with the most effective engineering design principles and continue to invest in proven treatments that make our streets safer.”

Vision Zero, which was first used in Sweden and has since been implemented in cities across Europe and North America, calls for reduced speeds, stronger enforcement of traffic offenses and roads designed to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe.

When he implemented Vision Zero, Garcetti created a steering committee with representatives from departments across the city, including the Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles Police Department, who would discuss progress and plan traffic safety-related projects. The audit found that the steering committee stopped meeting in 2018.

The audit also found that money allocated to Vision Zero goals, including education and outreach, traffic signals, bus stop security lighting and corridor projects, has remained unspent. It was unclear exactly how much funding went unspent on these goals.

The Vision Zero strategy has reduced traffic injuries and fatalities in other cities, but political leaders in Los Angeles haven’t dedicated enough time or resources to make it successful, said Damian Kevitt, founder of Streets Are for Everyone.

Kevitt’s organization advocates for improved traffic safety and provides resources and support for victims of traffic collisions and their loved ones. Everyday, he hears from families who lost loved ones in crashes that are preventable, he said.

If the city cared more about traffic safety and implementing the Vision Zero action plan, Kevitt said the number of traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries would have fallen by now.

“It’s not like we need to look into some witch’s brew or cauldron to figure out how to make roads safer,” Kevitt said. “There’s certain things you do. If you do them, the roads are safer.”

That includes stronger enforcement to discourage speeding and drunk driving and roads designed with pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in mind.

“If you don’t do it,” Kevitt said, “people will die.”

KPMG laid out 37 ways for the city to improve and reach its Vision Zero goals, including re-establishing the steering committee to improve intra-departmental communication, updating the action plan created in 2017 and updating the city’s more than 50-year-old street design manual.

Since identifying areas where fatalities and serious injuries are most common, LADOT said it has installed more than 6,700 safety treatments like pedestrian signals, upgraded traffic signals, bicycle infrastructure and crosswalk improvements. On top of those efforts, LADOT will push for stronger enforcement of and accountability for traffic violations, like running red lights and distracted driving, Sweeney said.