Vision Zero: Communicating to advance traffic safety
Traffic fatalities and injuries are preventable, but does the public see them that way? Vision Zero San Francisco is a collaborative campaign working across sectors to build momentum for a shift toward safe, healthy, equitable mobility for everyone who uses San Francisco’s streets. To help the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in its goal to improve traffic safety, Berkeley Media Studies Group examined public discourse on the issue and identified framing challenges and opportunities. We also worked with the Vision Zero Network to produce two case studies — the first one is available here; the second here — that showcase how other communities have communicated effectively and strategically about policies that foster safe, equitable mobility.
Our work, with support from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and in partnership with MIG Communications and InterEthnica, analyzed how the new media (including English, Spanish and Chinese language media) portray vehicle crashes and other safety issues. Drawing insights from this analysis, we discussed findings and implications during a January 2017 tweet chat, and created a framing brief that will help Vision Zero stakeholders frame traffic safety in the context of public health.
Related resources
Communications strategies to advance Vision Zero
Communications strategies for Vision Zero: Lessons from New York City
Beyond the traffic report: The news about road safety and Vision Zero in San Francisco
War is not the answer: Framing collective action for road safety