Toward Zero Deaths
Our mission: To create a culture for which traffic fatalities and serious injuries are no longer acceptable through the integrated application of education, engineering, enforcement, and emergency medical and trauma services. These efforts will be driven by data, best practices, and research.
Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) is a Minnesota partnership led by the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Health, in cooperation with the Minnesota State Patrol, the Federal Highway Administration, Minnesota county engineers, and the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota.
TZD Spotlight
In the fight against drunken driving—miles to go
Every year, hundreds of Minnesotans are killed or severely injured in crashes caused by drunken drivers. Another 35,000 are convicted of DWI. In a series of stories beginning Jan. 16, a team of Star Tribune reporters is taking an in-depth look at the scourge of drunken driving in Minnesota, the victims it claims, and the public safety questions it raises. In addition, the Star Tribune is highlighting at least one drunken-driving case in print and online each week and hosting an ongoing community discussion online about what can be done in Minnesota to make our roads safer.
Read the full story (Star Tribune)
Minnesota TZD wins international safety award
Minnesota’s Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program was one of 11 projects from 8 countries honored January 11, 2010, by the International Road Federation (IRF) for contributions to excellence in the road industry. The TZD program received the federation’s 2009 Global Road Achievement Award for its significant contributions to improving road safety.
Crash victims memorial Web site launched
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) is requesting TZD partners' support in making families of fatal crash victims aware of a new Web site, MinnesotaCrashVictims.org, that serves as a place to memorialize those who died as a result of a traffic crash. Partners can use Web site promotional cards to pass along to families of crash victims. The cards can be ordered from the DPS Web site Resource Catalog page (select "Other").
Traffic Safety in the News
- Drink, drive, arrest, repeat
- Pawlenty locks in on drunk driving
- America's New Deadly Obsession
- The 'smashed' series
- Drink and drive? These Minnesota cars just say no
- Senseless deaths haunt highways
- In the fight against drunken driving -- miles to go
- New organization combats distracted driving
- Editorial: A 2009 highlight: Fewer road deaths
- Minnesota’s Annual Traffic Deaths Drop Again; 2009 Figure Projected To Be Lowest Since 1944 (159 KB PDF)
- How safe are our roads?
- Editorial: A push for safety on rural roads
Events
2010 Toward Zero Deaths Conference: Save the Date and Call for Presentations
Mark your calendar for the Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) annual conference, to be held October 25 and 26, 2010, at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. At this time, the conference planning committee is soliciting ideas from stakeholders on topics for concurrent sesssions at the 2010 conference.