Dallas is seeing a dramatic decline in traffic deaths on the street that used to be the city’s deadliest. NBC 5 Investigates spent years pinpointing dangers on Loop 12 in Southern Dallas, prompting the city and state to redesign intersections and increase traffic enforcement. Senior investig ative reporter Scott Friedman posted a video today about the progress on Loop 12 and citywide, with new stats highlighted today at a Dallas City Council meeting. Here are the headline numbers: In just one year, from 2024 to 2025, Dallas had a 19% drop in fatal crashes citywide. And, so far this year, there have been 38 fatal crashes, two fewer than at this time last year. What’s more remarkable are the numbers on Loop 12, where the city and state focused so much attention after our NBC 5 Investigates series, Driven to Death. That’s where the city reports a 52% drop in fatal crashes over the last year, down from 25 in 2024. This year, so far, only three fatalities on Loop 12. But none of those happened on southern loop 12. Remember that’s where the city installed new crosswalks and traffic signals at 16 locations, and DART moved bus stops closer to signals to help people cross the busy road safely. Dallas Police also dramatically increased speed patrols, writing thousands of tickets on Loop 12 after our series of reports. On Monday, one Dallas City Council Member said the recent successes showed that the city staff should focus on the data and address the deadliest locations first. “I hope you ignore us. I hope you say I don’t care what you say, we have the data and I hope you fix the most dangerous places,” said Dallas City Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn. “And I don’t care what district they are in. If they are all in one district and it’s not mine, I don’t care.” But while some council members celebrated successes on Monday, others noted there is still a ton of room for improvement. Dallas still has a long way to go to if it is ever going to reach the lofty Vision Zero Traffic safety program goal it set for zero deaths by 2030. Council Member Chad West questioned Dr. Ghassan “Gus” Khankarli, the city’s transportation director, on Monday about whether he’s allocating enough resources to implement Vision Zero plans on more deadly roads. “A $12 million budget in your department and only one person assigned to Vision Zero, to me, there’s a disconnect,” said West. “I will again answer the question by saying I have other programs and other items that feed into Vision Zero, and it is not a one-person, one-off program,” said Khankarli. The transportation department already has plans for improvements to other roads, such as Skillman, Abrams and Ferguson, with projects aimed at reducing high speeds and deaths. The data shows speeding is still the number one cause of deadly crashes in Dallas. DRIVEN TO DEATH driven to death Nov 2, 2023 Dallas traffic death rate worst among 10 largest U.S. cities driven to death Nov 6, 2023 Dallas plan to cut traffic deaths rolls slowly years after council OK'd ‘Vision Zero' driven to death Nov 7, 2023 Dallas City Council members question lack of progress on ‘Vision Zero' traffic safety plan driven to death Nov 8, 2023 Can a Canadian city be a model for Dallas when it comes to road safety? driven to death Nov 9, 2023 Experts question if high speed limits and bad road designs add to Dallas traffic deaths driven to death Nov 17, 2023 With speed the leading cause of Dallas traffic deaths, where are the police? Dallas Jan 30, 2024 $500M Dallas transportation bond proposal devotes less than 2% to ‘Vision Zero' road safety plan Dallas Dec 13, 2023 One dangerous Dallas street will get a ‘road diet' with federal funds Dallas Jan 31, 2024 Dallas council members question ‘minimal' Vision Zero road safety funding in bond plan Fort Worth Feb 6, 2024 Fort Worth fatal crashes up 31% in five years as city talks ‘Vision Zero' driven to death Feb 6, 2024 Dallas intersection where NBC 5 highlighted pedestrian dangers gets a new crosswalk driven to death Feb 7, 2024 Draft traffic study suggests major changes to slow speedy drivers on Ferguson Road in far East Dallas driven to death Feb 14, 2024 Five pedestrians killed in 11 months on less than a mile of Loop 12, prompting calls for change driven to death Feb 16, 2024 State senator pledges action after NBC 5 investigation highlights deaths on Loop 12 driven to death Feb 20, 2024 Dallas ‘Vision Zero' road safety progress questioned at city council briefing driven to death Feb 21, 2024 ‘It could have killed someone' Dallas residents beg for protection from dangerous drivers on NW Hwy driven to death Feb 28, 2024 Dallas Dept. of Transportation misses deadlines for responding to road complaints thousands of times driven to death Feb 29, 2024 Dallas residents hear city's plan to address traffic dangers on Ferguson Road driven to death Mar 27, 2024 DART considers moving bus stops to areas safer for pedestrians driven to death Apr 3, 2024 Dallas City Council questions how to accelerate road safety plan traffic May 1, 2024 Could your phone help save you from a wrong-way driver? Fort Worth May 15, 2024 Fort Worth streets identified as dangerous years ago are still among the most deadly Dallas May 22, 2024 Triple-digit speeds on Central raise concerns about expressway turned speedway driven to death Aug 28, 2024 Dallas considers lowering speed limits on city's deadliest road Dallas Sep 6, 2024 Passenger in car that hit killed student on E. Ledbetter Drive/Loop 12 charged with murder: DPD driven to death Sep 8, 2024 Dozens of 'emergency' traffic safety changes planned for Loop 12 driven to death Sep 11, 2024 Dallas lowers speed limit on Central Expwy after NBC 5 Investigates reveals extreme speeds driven to death Sep 25, 2024 Headed ‘to the pokey.' DFW-area police warn extreme speeders of possible arrest driven to death Sep 30, 2024 Crash injuring six children highlights Loop 12 danger zone again driven to death Oct 3, 2024 Speed limits drop on Loop 12, Central Expressway headed into Downtown Dallas driven to death Oct 15, 2024 New safety measures planned for deadliest street in Dallas driven to death Nov 20, 2024 Dallas sheriff's deputies write 65% fewer speeding tickets than 5 years ago, data shows driven to death Dec 13, 2024 Dallas traffic deaths top 2023, leaders push for change on deadliest street driven to death Dec 20, 2024 NBC 5 Investigates ‘Driven to Death' special on deadly roads Dallas Jan 31, 2025 Police report zero deaths after speeding crackdown on Loop 12 driven to death May 19, 2025 Dallas fatal traffic crashes trending down in first months of 2025 driven to death Aug 13, 2025 Dallas' deadliest road to get nearly $10M in safety improvements after NBC 5 investigation driven to death Nov 17, 2025 Dallas report critical of city's street safety design policies driven to death Nov 18, 2025 Along Dallas' deadliest street, neighbors celebrate traffic safety progress ...read more read less