Caitlin Atkinson, the Vision Zero coordinator for northeastern North Dakota, briefed the commission Sept. 2 on crash patterns in Grand Forks County and work to expand school-based traffic-safety programs.

Atkinson told commissioners the county recorded 98 serious-injury crashes from 2019 to 2023 and has not yet finalized 2024 data. “We have a total of 98, serious injury crashes from 2019 to 2023,” she said. She said serious-injury and fatal crashes were split roughly evenly between rural and urban roadways and that many crashes occurred on dry surfaces and during daylight hours.

Key data Atkinson presented included that roughly 54% of serious-injury crashes in a five-year span were single-vehicle non-collisions (rollovers or run-offs), and that about three-quarters of serious-injury crashes occurred on dry pavement. She said fatal crashes numbered 27 in that same multi-year window, with about 14 occurring within Grand Forks city limits.

Atkinson described Vision Zero’s outreach to schools, including launching a ‘Vision Zero school’ at Larimore High School and plans to work with student leaders at Pine Orchard Central to produce safety PSAs, banners and other materials. She said Vision Zero offers services free to requesting jurisdictions and is funded through North Dakota Department of Transportation grant streams that reimburse the sheriff’s office for coordinator time.

Why it matters: The crash data and school outreach programs guide local traffic-safety priorities and may affect future county or city investments in roadway design, enforcement and education.

Atkinson said Vision Zero will return with further data and recommended countermeasures as available.