Fewer than 100 people died in vehicle crashes last year in Philadelphia, for the first time since 2019.
The number of tickets generated by speed cameras along Broad Street has dropped 67% in recent months, an indication that drivers are slowing down and following the posted limits.
However, more people were seriously injured in 2025, compared to the year prior, and Philadelphia still trails other major cities in metrics related to traffic safety.
“Vision Zero is working, but much more work needs to be done to sustain this momentum,” Marco Gorini said.
Gorini is program manager for the city’s Vision Zero program, a set of strategies deployed internationally with the aim of eliminating traffic deaths. Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration released an interactive report Monday that presents the latest crash data and highlights the initiative’s progress.
Last year, 89 individuals were killed on the road, a decrease of 26% compared to 2024. Nationwide fatalities fell 6.7%, so Philadelphia is outpacing the wider trend, according to the report.
Between 2020 and 2024, the city recorded just over nine traffic deaths for every 100,000 residents. The ratio in New York was 2.73. Rates were also lower, to varying degrees, in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“That makes you three times more likely to be killed in Philadelphia versus New York,” said Virginia Lynn, the city’s senior Vision Zero coordinator.
In 2025, 381 people were seriously injured in crashes, up from 362 the previous year, the report states.
Nearly half of those killed in vehicular violence were pedestrians or bicyclists, and Black and Hispanic residents are disproportionately impacted, according to the analysis.
Speed is the top contributing factor in deadly collisions, mostly between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., Vision Zero officials said.
When automated enforcement began on Broad Street in October 2025, one out of every 50 drivers was getting hit with a violation. That dipped to one out of every 500 cars by March, the most recent data available, Gorini said. Violations decreased at every camera, from North to South Philadelphia, he added.
Using a model developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Vision Zero representatives say that speed cameras have saved 72 lives since being installed along Roosevelt Boulevard six years ago.
On Friday, the Philadelphia Parking Authority began issuing fines to speeding drivers on a portion of Route 13 (Baltimore Avenue, University Avenue, 38th Street, 34th Street, Girard Avenue, 33rd Street and Ridge Avenue) in North and West Philadelphia.
Live ticketing was already in place on Route 13 in Northeast Philadelphia, and the PPA maintains speed cameras in five school zones.
City Council has also authorized automated enforcement on an additional 25 miles of roadway – state routes 2016 (Allegheny Avenue), 1004 (Erie and Torresdale avenues), and 2001 (Delaware Avenue, Richmond Street, and Oregon Avenue). Those cameras have yet to be installed.
“The expansion of speed cameras is critical because speed cameras are a key tool in our toolbox to drive down traffic deaths,” Gorini said.
MORE: Philadelphia launches dashboard to track efforts to reduce traffic deaths
