Your Monthly Update
July 2020
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CalSTA Secretary Addresses
Racial Equity, Justice and Inclusion in Transportation
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The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and the OTS remain committed to ensuring that transportation systems reflect a culture based on racial equity, diversity and inclusion.
“CalSTA strongly condemns systemic racism and discrimination in all forms, including those historically entrenched in transportation," CalSTA Secretary David S. Kim said in a statement released June 12.
"Enhancing the lives of all Californians – particularly people of color and disadvantaged communities – by connecting individuals to jobs, healthcare, education and other opportunities lie at the heart of what we do and why."
"We will be part of the solution," Secretary Kim added. "We will promote policies and programs that reflect principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, and will work with stakeholders to identify areas of improvement. Through these and other efforts, transportation systems have the potential to achieve their intended purpose – to provide safe and equitable access to opportunity and truly enhance quality of life.”
"We recognize that words need to be backed with meaningful action," OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. "We are engaging in conversations with all of our traffic safety partners about what those further actions may look like to benefit all Californians."
You can read Secretary Kim's full statement on racial equity, justice and inclusion in transportation on the
CalSTA website
.
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Safe Routes Partnership drops "Enforcement" from six "E's" approach to traffic safety
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The Safe Routes Partnership is dropping "Enforcement" from its six "E's" to safety strategies. The nonprofit provides guidance and resources for Safe Routes to School programs across the country.
The Safe Routes Partnership has historically utilized the "E's" approach as a way to ensure students are safe on their way to school, including education, encouragement, engineering, evaluation, and in recent years, equity.
"As part of the addition of Equity several years ago, the Safe Routes Partnership refocused the Enforcement E on community approaches to safety, understanding the deep issues that exist in many communities with law enforcement," Safe Routes Partnership added in their statement.
"Engagement" will now be the new E, with the six E's of Safe Routes to School being:
- Engagement
- Equity
- Engineering
- Encouragement
- Education
- Evaluation
Resources will be updated over the next few months to reflect the shift from Enforcement to Engagement, as well as how to support Safe Routes to School programs, Safe Routes Partnership said.
"We remain committed to identifying ways to eliminate inequities for all Black, indigenous, and people of color so that they can lead healthy, thriving, and full lives," Safe Routes Partnership said.
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Hot Car Deaths On Track to
Reach Record-Low
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Hot car deaths are on track to reach its lowest level since record-keeping began more than 20 years ago.
So far this year, there have been six children killed after being left in a hot car, according to numbers from
KidsandCars.org
. Four of those deaths have occurred in the past month, but still far below historic numbers.
The average number of hot car deaths for children through June 10 is around nine, according to NoHeatStroke.org, a website that tracks hot car deaths across the country. Last year, there were 52 children killed in hot cars, after a record 53 deaths in 2018.
Child safety groups are attributing the steep decline to the COVID-19 pandemic. With schools closed and children doing distant learning, parents are getting out less,
NoHeatStroke.org
said.
“The impact of people staying at home and not being in as many situations where they might forget a child in a car has certainly had an impact,” NoHeatStroke.org founder Jan Null told
AccuWeather.com
.
National Heatstroke Awareness Day was moved from May 1 to July 1 this year due to COVID-19, but the message is still the same: Park. Look. Lock.
"Even with schools closed and parents working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, we should not let our guard down about the dangers of leaving children in hot cars," OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. "As we gradually get back to some sense of normal, routines will change, making it that much more important to be extra careful about checking the back seat before you get out of the car."
The OTS and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be working together to get the message out on social media, reminding parents to always look before exiting a vehicle.
With the official start of summer underway and the economy reopening, there are simple steps parents and caregivers can take to prevent hot car deaths:
- Park. Look. Lock. Get into the habit of looking in the back seat every time you park and before you lock the car.
- Leave something important in the back seat you will not forget, such as a laptop, cell phone or wallet, as a reminder to check the back seat.
- Always lock your doors. About 25% of hot car deaths occur when kids get into cars and lock themselves in.
- Hide the keys: Children like to play in cars. Store keys somewhere kids can't find them.
- Never leave a child alone in a car, even with the air conditioner on or the windows down.
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ABC Modifies Guidelines for Serving Alcohol Following Reopening of Bars, Restaurants
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The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has modified its guidelines for serving alcohol. As some bars and restaurants return to dine-in service with modifications and guidance from health officials, the California Department of Public Health removed the requirement that alcoholic beverages be served only in conjunction with meals.
Licensees such as bars that are authorized to serve alcohol on licensed premises may do so as they had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, subject to
county approval
and state directives,
the ABC said.
This also applies to wineries, breweries and distilleries that do not have their own kitchens.
On-sale privileges
on licensed premises is subject to the stage of reopening in the county the licensed premises is based, the ABC said. On June 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered seven counties to close bars and clubs and recommended eight other counties take action to close those businesses, citing the rise in COVID-19 cases.
The ABC will continue to allow some bars, wineries, distilleries and breweries to
sell alcohol to-go
, as long as it is in a sealed container and provided with a meal from a meal provider.
Since businesses were required to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Mid-march, the ABC has been providing emergency relief by relaxing multiple state regulations on the sale of alcohol.
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ABC to Begin Use of Minor Decoys for Online Purchases, Delivery of Alcoholic Beverages
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The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has approved the ABC's
new emergency regulation
addressing the online purchase and delivery of alcoholic beverages.
The regulation outlines new enforcement rules the ABC is employing to curb alcohol deliveries and online purchases to minors.
Under the new emergency regulation package, the ABC is allowed to conduct minor decoy operations for the off-site purchase of alcohol delivered to customers. The operations are intended to ensure alcohol is only being sold to those of legal drinking age.
"The incidence of delivery of alcoholic beverages to minors was alarmingly high," the ABC said in an
Industry Advisory
announcing the use of delivery minor decoys. "...the (ABC) has continued to monitor alcohol deliveries and has seen little to no change in violation rates."
Funded by the OTS, the
Minor Decoy Program
utilizes people under 20 years of age as minor decoys attempting to purchase alcohol from a licensed business. Previous ABC regulations did not have the necessary language to allow for enforcement efforts for alcohol deliveries from a licensed business, at the point of delivery. Now, the ABC will be permitted to conduct minor decoy operations for the off-site purchase of alcohol delivered to customers, as well as online or phone orders in which verification of legal drinking age is required.
A licensee is responsible for verifying legal drinking age, whether they make the delivery or using a third-party delivery service, the ABC said. Like previous regulations allowing the use of minor decoys to test compliance with the law, if a licensee is found to have furnished alcohol to a minor decoy, the ABC may pursue administrative disciplinary action, including a suspension or revocation of the license.
The new regulation will remain in place until Jan. 30, 2021, but the ABC anticipates going through the process to make it permanent.
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Lifesavers 2020 Conference Webinar Series Continues
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The Lifesavers Conference webinar series continues this month with sessions on developing effective traffic safety public relations campaigns, community outreach for alcohol problem identification, and rear-seat safety.
The 2020 Lifesavers Conference in Tampa, Fla. was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Lifesavers announced last month they would be hosting free webinars from June 2 to July 8.
If you missed any webinars held last month, recordings are available for viewing on the
Lifesavers website
.
While this year's conference was canceled, the 2021 Lifesavers Conference is scheduled as planned, with the OTS serving as host!
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The OTS Announces
Tentative Awards for 2021 Grants
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The OTS is excited to announce that 421 grants have been tentatively awarded to agencies across the state for a wide variety of traffic safety programs.
Grants have been awarded for alcohol and drug-impaired driving, occupant protection, pedestrian and bicycle safety, emergency medical and police traffic services programs, closely aligning with our renewed vision of a California where every person, regardless of how they get around, will
Go Safely
.
We have awarded new grant programs with new partners, including Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), local Departments of Transportation and Active Transportation Grant recipients.
New for 2021 were grants to fund local agencies to create or enhance existing traffic crash reporting systems. It is all an effort to improve the timeliness of reporting crash data that helps guide our traffic safety priorities.
We conducted extended outreach to traffic safety partners at every level, resulting in more than 450 applications for the 2021 grant cycle, a 36% increase in applications from last year.
"These grant awards represent collaboration in action," OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. "It takes a lot more than a village to make our vision of a California where everyone goes safely a reality."
A big thank you to all of our current and future partners. We look forward to working with every one of you to reduce serious injuries and deaths on our roadways.
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This is a difficult time for all of us and we are in need of good news. Here is how our grantees are bringing care, joy and happiness to the communities they serve.
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Answering the Call:
San Jose Police Officers
Save Infant on Father's Day
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Two San Jose Police Officers answered the call on Father's Day, saving an infant who had stopped breathing.
The officers were able to get the infant breathing again before he was transported to the hospital.
The infant is currently recovering in the hospital, where doctors and paramedics say Officers Paredes and Martinez quick action saved the boy's life.
"This family and these officers will never forget that Father's Day,"
the San Jose Police Department tweeted
. "They made a bond that will last forever when the call for help was answered by someone they did not know..."
"In this job, sometimes you don't get a lot of good news, but this is one of the times where we're really happy to get the good news that...what we ended up doing made a difference," Officer Parades said
during an interview
with KPIX-TV San Francisco.
Nice job putting that critical training to work Officers Parades and Martinez!
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Christina's Reading Corner: Anaheim Police Officer Holds Virtual Story Time
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The Anaheim Police Department is using an innovative approach to the way they are educating children about safe roadway behaviors.
Their virtual program, Christina's Reading Corner, is gaining a strong following, maintaining a connection with the Anaheim community while they stay at home, while also offering safety messages for children.
Christina's Reading Corner is a virtual story time for children, led by Christina Pacheco, a Traffic Office Specialist, who reads books to children on social media discussing different safety topics.
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The California Office of Traffic Safety administers traffic safety grants that deliver innovative programs and eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries on California roadways. The OTS is a department under the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).
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Contact the OTS Marketing & Public Affairs Team
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Copyright © 2020
OTS Marketing and Public Affairs
All Rights Reserved
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