Six counties complete safety action plans through Safe Travel for All

January 2, 2026

Six counties complete safety action plans through Safe Travel for All

Safe Travel for All is a regionwide initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries in northeastern Illinois. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), the Illinois Department of Transportation, and six counties in northeastern Illinois (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will) were awarded nearly $4 million from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant to develop a first-of-its-kind traffic safety framework for northeastern Illinois.

The counties have completed safety action plans and passed resolutions to support traffic safety improvements. The plans are roadmaps for improving traffic safety by reducing the risk of death and serious injury on roadways throughout the region, particularly for people walking and biking, and for communities with disproportionately excessive crash rates.

As of December 2025, five of the county planning teams completed additional work to supplement the final plans and strategically position counties for implementation success. Updates include new and expanded resources for municipalities to support data driven decision-making, detailed funding resource guides, targeted interventions, and community centered traffic safety planning that aims to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries, while improving travel safety for all road users.

Cook County

DuPage County

Kane County

Lake County

McHenry County

Will County

Who is impacted by traffic safety?

Traffic safety is an issue that impacts us all, whether we drive, bike, walk, ride the bus or train, or use other means of transportation. Northeastern Illinois is experiencing a traffic safety crisis. Traffic fatalities, particularly among pedestrians and bicyclists, have been increasing since 2014. Fatal crashes are most common on roads with 30 mph speed limits, which feature frequent intersections; businesses, schools, and neighborhood access; and people walking, biking, and accessing transit. These vulnerable travelers are at higher risk of severe injury and death if struck by a vehicle. Vehicle sizes and weights have been trending upward for decades, making them more dangerous in a collision. These are just a few traffic safety factors that impact us all.

However, not all communities are equally at risk. Data reveals stark racial disparities in traffic safety impacts, with Black residents having a higher rate of fatal crashes despite making up a smaller proportion of the population. Additionally, people of color, particularly Black residents, have longer average trips to jobs, healthcare, and shopping, and rely more on walking and biking, increasing their exposure to safety threats from vehicles. Higher-speed arterial roads have historically been constructed in low-income areas and communities of color.

Bar chart of annual fatalities in northeastern Illinois, 2010–2023. Fatalities hover near 400 through the mid-2010s, rise steadily after 2016, peak at about 700 in 2021, then decline slightly to around 590 by 2023

How will we make our roads safer?

Safe Travel for All also shifts away from the traditional vehicle-centered traffic safety lens and instead embraces the Safe System Approach. This approach creates multiple layers of protection against crashes, with increased emphasis on safety for people walking and biking. It proactively works toward zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries, rather than accepting that some fatalities are inevitable.

The Safe System Approach

The principles of the Safe System Approach are:

Death and serious injuries are unacceptable
Humans make mistakes
Humans are vulnerable
Responsibility is shared
Safety is proactive
Redundancy is critical

Learn more about CMAP’s traffic safety work.

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