The City of San José announced on April 2 that it will promote road safety throughout April as part of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The Transportation Department is deploying electronic message signs at fourteen locations along high-crash corridors, displaying reminders such as “Eyes Up Phones Down,” “People Crossing,” and “Slow Down.”
This initiative comes after a decrease in traffic fatalities over the past three years, from 65 deaths in 2022 to 41 in 2025. However, city officials said recent fatal crashes threaten this progress and highlight the need for continued attention to driver behavior.
City Manager Jennifer Maguire said, “The City Council is focused on strengthening community safety, and we are continuing to invest in traffic safety projects that protect everyone who lives, works, and travels in San José. The City takes traffic safety seriously. Our goal is to make streets safer and prevent traffic deaths and severe injuries in our community.” Director of Transportation John Ristow added, “One fatal crash is too many… Though San José has safer roads than many big cities, we won’t be satisfied until we reach our Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and severe-injury crashes. To get there, we need to implement safety projects on our most dangerous streets, while also using messaging and traffic enforcement to get drivers to slow down and pay attention to the road.”
Mayor Matt Mahan said, “It’s become far too common to see drivers looking at their phones instead of the road. We’re investing in safer street design and consistent enforcement, but safety starts in the driver’s seat. Put the phone down, stay focused, and look out for one another.” Lieutenant Hatzenbuler from the San José Police Department noted that distracted driving remains a leading cause of preventable collisions: “A moment of inattention can change lives forever — stay focused, stay alert, and put the phone down.”
According to health authorities cited by city officials during this campaign period, distracted driving includes visual (eyes off road), manual (hands off wheel), or cognitive (mind off driving) distractions; cell phone use can cause all three types simultaneously. The National Safety Council found that even hands-free conversations reduce awareness while driving.
San José adopted its Vision Zero initiative as only the fourth U.S. city doing so since 2015—an international movement seeking zero fatal or severe-injury crashes—and its current action plan targets a further reduction by 2030 with elimination by 2040.
Beyond transportation initiatives like these public awareness campaigns aimed at promoting safe travel for all residents—including those who live or work within Santa Clara Valley neighborhoods—the City also fosters cultural diversity through sites such as Japanese Friendship Garden or Mexican Heritage Plaza according to its historical context page. It maintains historic landmarks like those featured at Kelley Park’s museum as described online, including statehouse replicas built across different eras according to official records.
The city government aims “to deliver quality public services and foster a safe vibrant community for its residents businesses and visitors,” according to its official mission page. Governance includes an elected mayor alongside an eleven-member council representing individual districts as outlined by charter documents.