IMPO tracks progress towards Vision Zero 2040
Indianapolis is making headway in its quest to eliminate traffic deaths . . . but new data shows a troubling reality: while fatal crashes have leveled off, serious injuries are on the rise.
That’s the headline from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization’s 2025 Annual Safety Report, which offers a detailed snapshot of traffic safety in the region, and measures progress toward the agency’s Vision Zero goal: a 35% reduction in serious and fatal crashes by 2040 compared to 2020 levels.
“Every serious injury or fatal crash is a tragedy, and they’re preventable,” IMPO Executive Director Anna Gremling relayed in an op-ed for the Indianapolis Business Journal earlier this year.
“We know we can design a system that forgives human mistakes, but that means we need to target our investments where the risks are greatest,” she asserts.
The findings place the city in a broader national context, alongside mid-sized metro areas such as Louisville, Kansas City, and Columbus, which are wrestling with similar trends.
Cities of the size of Indianapolis often face a unique set of transportation challenges. Unlike denser coastal metros such as Boston or San Francisco, where pedestrian infrastructure and public transit can absorb some of the risk, Indianapolis’ sprawling layout relies heavily on vehicle travel, which can elevate both crash frequency and severity.
Yet when compared to peers such as Louisville and Kansas City, Indianapolis shows a relatively stronger downward trend in fatalities, even as serious injuries continue to rise: a reminder that reducing deaths is only part of the battle.
The recent IMPO report leaves readers with the impression that while the city’s approach mirrors national trends toward data-driven safety planning, Indianapolis stands out for its aggressive use of infrastructure investments, public engagement, and the Safe System Approach to anticipate human error.
Fatalities Down, Injuries Up
In 2024, the metropolitan planning area recorded 122 fatal crashes and 706 serious injury crashes, for a total of 828 incidents. The number of deadly crashes has remained stable or declined in recent years, but the rise in serious injuries threatens to undermine safety gains.
Since 2018, there have been 899 traffic fatalities and 4,126 serious injury crashes in the region, according to IMPO data. Passenger vehicles account for the vast majority of incidents, clocking in around 83%, but pedestrians and cyclists remain disproportionately affected when tragedy strikes.
Pedestrians were involved in only 14% of crashes last year, but they represented nearly three in ten traffic deaths. Cyclists accounted for 3.0% of incidents but 4.0% of fatalities.
Where Crashes Happen . . . and Why
IMPO’s report identifies the High Injury Network, a map of corridors with the greatest concentration of severe and fatal crashes. Many of these hot spots are clustered around intersections and major arterials in Marion County, where speeding, lane departures, and a lack of pedestrian infrastructure increase the danger.
The top contributing factors in serious and fatal crashes over the past two years were intersections, where 45% of fatalities and 64% of combined serious/fatal incidents occurred; lane departures, often linked to excessive speed or distraction; speeding, which magnifies crash severity; failure to wear seatbelts, still a persistent problem; and pedestrian-involved crashes, especially deadly ones.
Among serious injury crashes, incidents involving older drivers were also a notable factor.
$56 Million for Safer Roads
To address these risks, IMPO distributed roughly $56 million in 2024 through programs like the Highway Safety Improvement Program and the Transportation Alternatives Program.
Funded projects ranged from intersection overhauls to multi-use trail connections: new roundabouts in Carmel, Fishers, Greenwood, Beech Grove, and Plainfield; the Eagle Creek Greenway extension in Indianapolis; and pedestrian-focused upgrades along high-risk corridors.
“These projects aren’t just about moving cars faster – they’re about moving people safely,” Gremling explained.
Designing for Human Error
The report’s framework is built on the Safe System Approach, a concept gaining traction nationwide. It assumes that people will make mistakes, but the transportation system should be designed to prevent those mistakes from becoming deadly.
That philosophy translates into redundancies – sidewalks and bike lanes alongside roads, slower design speeds in urban areas, and better separation between vehicles and vulnerable users.
IMPO has also rolled out tools to help local governments plan smarter: an interactive “Crash Dashboard” for up-to-date safety data; a “Vision Zero Toolkit” for communities setting their own safety goals; intersection Safety Studies of high-crash locations; and a “Complete Streets Policy” requiring sidewalks or bike facilities in projects funded by IMPO.
The Road to 2040
Meeting the Vision Zero target will require steady progress over the next 15 years, but IMPO officials acknowledge that crash trends can shift quickly.
Changes in travel behavior, vehicle technology, and even weather patterns can all influence safety outcomes. That’s why IMPO plans to continue refining its High Injury Network and working closely with local jurisdictions to ensure funding follows the data.
For residents, the message is clear: safer streets are possible, but they will require more than just infrastructure changes. They will demand a cultural shift toward valuing safety over speed.
“We know the solutions,” Gremling asserted. “The challenge is making them happen at the scale and speed that our communities need.”