Implementation Effort
- Requires minimal effort
- Timeline between 2-3 weeks*
* Assuming an agency has an existing, configured AASHTOWare Safety instance and all required data
Safety Processes
Our Customer Success team helps agencies turn crash data into actionable insights. The processes below show how they’re making their communities safer.
Vision Zero in Action: Data, Community, and Safer Streets
Knoxville, TN, integrates AASHTOWare Safety into its Vision Zero efforts.
Required Data
- Crash Data
Focus Areas
- Behavioral Enforcement
- Safe Systems Approach
- Public Partnerships
Process Overview
Vision Zero is a roadway safety strategy that aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on all roadways. This mission is supported by the nonprofit Vision Zero Network, a campaign that helps communities make progress toward the goal of zero roadway deaths. As more agencies nationwide adopt this goal and join the Vision Zero Network, many are facing challenges. It can be difficult to pinpoint corridors, build consensus around projects, and secure funding for proposed improvements that align with safety goals.
AASHTOWare Safety helps agencies put Vision Zero into action by providing tools to understand where crashes occur and why. With crash data, network screening, and visualization, agencies can zero in on locations, determine which projects will have the greatest impact, and share that information clearly with the public and city leaders. This makes it easier to gain support, secure funding, and take actionable steps toward the goal of Vision Zero.
Knoxville’s Approach to Vision Zero
The City of Knoxville, TN, has embraced Vision Zero as a guiding framework for their safety efforts. The city has set a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities on city-controlled roadways by 2040. Knoxville’s commitment to Vision Zero is closely tied to a commitment to evidence-based decision-making and broad community engagement. Knoxville recognized early on that achieving Vision Zero requires not just data-driven strategies, but also conversations with the people most affected by roadway safety.
Knoxville has invested in outreach with neighborhood groups across the city. Before meeting with residents, crash data is pulled from Crash Query for the neighborhood being visited. The crash map is used as a clear, accessible visual aid during Vision Zero presentations. This simple step has transformed community engagement. Instead of talking about Vision Zero in abstract terms, residents see the crashes that happened on the very streets they drive on every day.
This type of rapid crash data visualization makes the conversation immediate and personal, tying the data to their lived experience and creating a stronger sense of ownership in the city’s safety goals.
Data visualization has also become a key tool for presenting projects to the city council. Council approval is required for every project, and previously, the team used to watch eyes glaze over when spreadsheets were handed out. Now, by using Crash Query maps and charts, the information is engaging. It gives city leaders a clear way to see patterns and support safety initiatives.
To connect this community-driven approach with measurable outcomes, Knoxville relies on AASHTOWare Safety. The platform allows the city to analyze crash patterns, screen its network for high-crash locations, and align its systematic planning process with Vision Zero objectives.
By grounding decisions in data, Knoxville can shift from reactive responses to proactive safety strategies. Cody describes the combination of AASHTOWare Safety and community outreach as a powerful way to build consensus across departments, secure funding, and communicate decisions with credibility.
Knoxville’s experience illustrates how Vision Zero can be advanced through the combination of adopting tools like AASHTOWare Safety and investing in strong community partnerships