Today Councilmember Rob Saka (District 1), chair of the Transportation, Waterfront and Seattle Center Committee, proposed the groundwork for first-of-its-kind traffic safety legislation — the Seattle SAFER (Safe Accountable Flexible Equitable Responsive) Streets Act. Chair Saka’s proposed package will feature three complementary pieces of legislation designed to strengthen traffic safety and accelerate progress toward Seattle’s ambitious Vision Zero goal of ending all traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.

The SAFER Streets Act is being developed around five community-led priorities:

• Make safety part of the system.
• Require proven safety measures.
• Protect the most vulnerable road users by using the City’s contracting power to promote safer trucks performing municipal work
• Empower Seattle Department of Transportation safety leadership to make decisions. 
• Respond faster after fatal crashes.

“This draft legislative package will be focused on strengthening Seattle’s Vision Zero safety approach to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030,” said Councilmember Saka. “The legislation seeks to give safety experts greater authority to act and supports proven interventions before and after tragedy. And importantly, this package of bills would codify a comprehensive Safe System operating approach of existing practices and community priorities into city law, with concrete requirements concerning project review, post-fatality response, authority, daylighting, vulnerable users, transparency, and contractor safety.”

What the legislation does

This legislative package, which is still under development and will be finalized by August 21st, is intended to position the City of Seattle to achieve the ambitious goals of Vision Zero. It will accelerate SDOT’s response after fatal crashes by establishing a consistent baseline and outlining a path toward faster, more ambitious safety improvements. It will advance proven safety measures through expanded intersection daylighting and enhanced Vision Zero reviews for transportation projects. The legislation will also strengthen and unify the City’s top traffic engineering and safety leadership, giving them clearer authority to act quickly when safety is at risk. In addition, it will reinforce Seattle’s Safe System approach and leverage the City’s contracting power to ensure safer trucks are used in municipal work, better protecting vulnerable road users. Finally, it will embed traffic safety more deeply into how Seattle plans, designs, builds, and evaluates its streets, ensuring long-term progress that does not rely solely on shifts in policy or priorities.

Background

The City of Seattle launched its Vision Zero program in 2015 with a goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. Central to the initiative is a Safe System Approach, which recognizes that human error is inevitable and wraps multiple safety layers around our transportation network by designing streets for safety, enforcing speed limits, educating travelers, and improving post-crash response. Despite early progress, data indicates that traffic deaths and injuries have not declined as hoped, prompting ongoing reviews and updates to the action plan.

Earlier this year, Chair Saka requested an audit of Seattle’s Vision Zero initiative.

In January 2026, Chair Saka put safety first when he rebranded the newly expanded and reorganized Transportation, Waterfront, and Seattle Center Committee as the Safety, Transportation, Engineering Projects, Sports & Experiences (STEPS) Committee, making traffic safety a foundational priority of the committee’s broader portfolio.

What’s next

The Transportation, Waterfront, and Seattle Center Committee will receive a briefing on the draft legislation on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 9:30 a.m. in Seattle City Council Chamber. 

Additional quotes

“Cascade Bicycle Club envisions a city where people of all ages and abilities ride their bike safely regardless of the neighborhood. Vision Zero is how we get there. We are encouraged to see our city leaders prioritizing the Vision Zero initiative that makes our streets safer. For too long, people biking, walking, and rolling have taken a backseat in Seattle’s transportation policy, while being disproportionately impacted by traffic violence. This traffic safety policy will provide a comprehensive framework that can benefit our entire community, and we look forward to collaborating with city leadership to ensure its successful implementation across all of our neighborhoods.”
– Lee Lambert, Executive Director, Cascade Bicycle Club 

“After my husband Steve was struck and killed by an oncoming motorist, traffic safety stopped being an abstract policy issue for me. Every traffic fatality leaves behind family members whose lives are forever changed, and we cannot accept preventable deaths as the cost of getting around our city. I’ve spent the years since Steve died pushing Seattle to move faster on traffic safety issues, challenging the process, and working with our leaders to do better. I’ve worked collaboratively with Councilmember Saka and his team on the SAFER Streets Act, and I appreciate that they listened, welcomed candid feedback, and incorporated community ideas into this comprehensive legislation. We know many of the changes that are needed to save lives. What we need now is the shared sense of urgency and commitment to put them into action, while ensuring that they remain a durable focus.”
– Rita Hulsman, West Seattle resident and traffic safety advocate

“Making Seattle’s streets safer takes more than good intentions. It takes real investment and skilled union workers building the improvements that save lives. The Seattle Building Trades are proud to support the SAFER Streets Act and its focus on getting proven safety improvements built where they are needed most. This is about protecting workers, families, and everyone who uses our streets while creating good union jobs that strengthen our city.”
– Monty Anderson, Executive Secretary, Seattle Building Trades Council

“As a young person who has demanded accountability and worked to hold our elected leaders to their word, I’ve sought results, not empty promises. I’m supporting this traffic safety legislation because it focuses our city on the greatest risks and the most vulnerable users first. We know what proven safety measures look like and where they’re needed, and this legislation makes clear that city engineers have the authority to act quickly; because our community will hold them accountable.”
– Russell McQuarrie-Means, progressive organizer and environmental justice advocate

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