Arlington is on track to reduce the number of traffic-related deaths on its roads for the second year in a road, even as Tarrant County as a whole is trending toward an increase.
With fewer than two months left in the year, Arlington police said there have been 29 deaths compared to 37 in 2024. Mayor Jim Ross said the number in 2024 was down from 52 the year prior.
The city’s goal is to reach zero road deaths by 2050, an objective shared across the state with Vision Zero Texas.
The expected reduction in road deaths in Arlington comes as other jurisdictions across Tarrant County try to prevent an increase in traffic fatalities compared to 2024. The county has seen 160 deaths so far this year, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office in late October projected 234 deaths by the end of the year compared to 205 in 2024. A spokesman for the sheriff's office told KERA News in an email that the numbers for October were cut in half, from 24 in 2024 to 12 this year. Up to Nov. 25, the county had seven deaths on roadways while last year, for the full month of November, the county saw 19 traffic fatalities.
Arlington police, city staff and the mayor all credit the decrease to multiple city initiatives, including increased traffic enforcement and the Safe Streets Arlington plan.
The department has increased its total number of traffic stops by 25% and increased the number of times a traffic citation is issued by 31%, according to police data.
Lt. Brian Jones, commander of the Arlington police traffic division, said high speeds are a common factor in fatal crashes. The goal of traffic enforcement isn’t to give out tickets but to get drivers to slow down.
“Anytime you increase enforcement you’re going to increase visibility out there,” Jones told KERA News. “People see [police] lights and cars, they slow down.”
Efforts have been focused on areas where the department has seen dangerous speeds or a high concentration of deadly crashes, Jones said. That includes Interstate 20, I-30 and Cooper Street.
Jones said using data about speeds, red light violations and other risky driving allows the department to prevent deaths instead of just reacting to them.
The city’s Safe Streets Arlington plan, which was approved by council in December 2024, also plays an important role in the decrease.
Arlington’s Transportation Planning and Programming Manager Ann Foss said the biggest element of Safe Streets Arlington put into practice is an education element.
“We’re focusing on the education, focusing really on internal practices, making sure that we're weaving safety into everything that the city is doing,” Foss said.
Police have played a role in that education with safe driving events, where officers teach drivers about good and dangerous driving habits, Foss said. The city also worked with schools to bring students who are visually impaired to downtown for practice navigating crosswalks and traffic signals.
Zero by 2050
Ross said zero deaths in Arlington, a city of around 400,000 people and 16 million visitors annually, may be a high goal but it’s not unattainable.
“I think with the right programs in place, with the people running the right program, you can certainly make a concerted effort and get very close to zero deaths if not reach that,” Ross told KERA News.
Safe Streets Arlington will play a crucial role, he said.
The public-facing parts of the plan have been focused on education so far, but Foss said it has around 40 action items, including things like road redesigns and utilizing new technology.
AI is expected to play a role through technology like NoTraffic, a system that uses artificial intelligence at intersections to collect data, manage traffic flow and bolster safety. The tech has already been implemented in some parts of the city, including the Arlington Entertainment District in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The data collected by NoTraffic and other technology can also be used by police to identify stretches of road that are higher risk of deadly crashes.
The city is also working with regional partners like the North Central Texas Council of Governments, or NCTCOG, on parts of the plan, Ross said. City leaders recently did a walking survey with NCTCOG to identify ways to improve Arlington’s streets and pedestrian infrastructure.
Foss also said the city is applying for grants for those improvements and others.
The plan will continue to develop over the next quarter-century with updates and improvements to the plan, with many of them expected to go to council for approval.
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