Fatal crashes in Oakland are unacceptably and persistently high. Nationally, traffic fatalities reached a 16-year high in 2021 with 42,915 people killed, a 10.5% increase from 2020. The most common causes of severe and fatal crashes in Oakland include speeding, failure to yield, unsafe turning, red light running, and driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Crashes continue to disproportionately occur in Oakland’s Priority Equity communities and on the High Injury Network (68% of the High Injury Network falls in High and Highest Priority Equity Communities).
Life-changing and life-ending collisions on roadways are preventable with prioritized, targeted, and comprehensive strategies. To address this epidemic the Safe Oakland Streets (SOS) initiative was launched in 2021. The SOS core team includes the Department of Transportation (OakDOT), the City Administrator’s Office (CAO), the Oakland Police Department (OPD) and the Department of Race and Equity (DRE) and works collaboratively on strategies to to achieve the goals of preventing serious and fatal traffic crashes and eliminating crash inequities on Oakland's streets.
The Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) and the Oakland Police Department (OPD) launched this webpage in October 2022 in support of transparent monitoring of traffic deaths on Oakland streets in support of the Safe Oakland Streets initiative. The below map and table will be updated on an ongoing basis.