By Jorge Casuso

February 14, 2025 -- The number of Fatal and Severe Injury (FSI) crashes in Santa Monica soared in 2024, marking the fourth straight year the numbers have risen, according to Transportation Department data.

There was a total of 60 crashes last year that resulted in severe injuries or deaths -- an average of more than one per week -- a 54 percent rise over the 39 reported in 2023.

Last year's total also easily topped the 43 FSI crashes in 2019 that were the highest since at least 2010, the first year for which data was provided.

Of the 60 FSI crashes last year, 21 involved pedestrians, 9 involved bicyclists and 4 involved scooters, according to the data. The other 26 involved only cars.

Five of the crashes were fatal, with three involving a pedestrian and two a bicyclist, according to press releases issued by the Police Department last year.

In 47 of the 60 serious crashes the driver was at fault, while nine were listed as "Other/No Fault," according to the Transportation Department data

Of the 9 crashes involving bicyclists, the driver was at fault in 5, the bicyclist in 4.

The crashes come after major investments in traffic safety have failed to curb serious crashes in Santa Monica, prompting the Council to direct staff "to prioritize the deterrence of dangerous driving within Santa Monica that poses an immediate threat to the safety of residents."

City officials issued the following statement accompanying the latest data: "The city continues to monitor these stats regularly and is committed toward a Vision Zero goal of eliminating severe traffic injuries and fatalities, guided by the three E’s: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement."

"Vision Zero," which was unanimously adopted by the Council in February of 2016, had a stated goal of ending "all fatalities and major injuries among users of City streets in coming decades."

Actions included the sweeping re-design of city streets meant to embrace pedestrians and bicyclists and discourage cars on Santa Monica's congested roadways ("Santa Monica City Council Calls for Safe Streets 'Czar,'” May 11, 2017).

Recent safety improvements have included the completion of 17 crosswalk flashing beacons (RRFBs), 16 all-ways stops and the Ocean Avenue protected bikeway, City officials said.

The City is also installing signage along 33 miles of roadway after the Council last August reduced the speed limit on 47 stretches of boulevards, major cross streets and near schools ("Lower Speed Limits Go Into Effect," January 2, 2025).

The continued actions were spurred after FSI crashes steadily rose after tanking from 43 to 15 during the coronavirus shutdown in 2020. Serious crashes rose to 30 in 2021, 33 in 2022 and 39 in 2023 before soaring last year.

In January, Councilmembers Jesse Zwick and Dan Hall placed a discussion item on the agenda asking the Police Department to hold more "high-visibility enforcement operations against dangerous driving."

The item, which was moved without discussion, also called for quarterly updates that include detailed data on enforcement actions, as well as "a comprehensive breakdown of data and trends in city traffic enforcement from 2019 through 2024" as part of the department’s annual report to the Council.

In addition, the item also asked SMPD to "develop a proposal as part of the 25/26 budget process to restore the department’s traffic enforcement capabilities and outcomes to pre-2020 levels" ("Police to Crack Down on Dangerous Driving," January 28, 2025).