Your Monthly Update
March 2020
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GHSA Report: Pedestrian Deaths Are At More Than 30-Year High
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The number of pedestrians killed last year are projected to reach levels not seen since the 1980s, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
In 2019, 6,590 pedestrians were killed in the United States, the highest total since 1988. California had the highest number of pedestrians killed, with 519 deaths during the first half of 2019, a 12% increase from 464 over the same time period in 2018.
The annual report titled
"Spotlight on Highway Safety"
used preliminary data reported by all 50 states and Washington, D.C. for the first six months of 2019. The data was adjusted to encompass an entire year based on historic trends.
"This shift in progress is alarming and troubling," OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. "The safety of people walking is paramount. We are actively working with all of our traffic safety partners to help change bad roadway behaviors and reverse this trend."
Key findings from the report include:
- 76% of pedestrian deaths happened at night and 75% happened outside an intersection.
- About half of deadly crashes involved a driver and/or pedestrian with a blood alcohol content (BAC) over .08, the legal limit in all states except Utah (.05).
- Pedestrians struck by a large SUV are twice as likely to die as those struck by a car. Deaths involving SUVs have nearly doubled (81%) since 2009.
The OTS will continue to make pedestrian safety a top priority, funding programs like walk audits and Complete Streets Safety Assessments that identify engineering improvements that can be made in areas where walking is the main way people get around.
Coupled with behavioral education campaigns promoting driver awareness and safe driving/walking habits, as well as enforcement of traffic laws in high-risk intersections, we remain committed to helping change behaviors that lead to crashes involving pedestrians.
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Scooter blocking access to a crosswalk in Santa Monica.
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Scooters parked in designated zone in Santa Monica.
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Study examines improper scooter, bike and car parking
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New micro-mobility modes like electric scooters and bike share have changed the way people get around in dozens of cities across the country.
While these new modes of transportation, users are able to travel short distances in more congested metro areas, but there are major safety concerns, including where they are left when riders are done using them.
But a
University of Oregon and Cornell University study
published March 3rd examining parking behavior found that improperly parked cars – double parking, using "No Parking" and restricted areas, blocking driveways, bike lanes, crosswalks or curb ramps – far outnumbered improperly parked scooters or bikes.
Researchers focused on five cities, including San Francisco and Santa Monica, and found 24.7% of all cars observed were improperly parked, versus 0.8% of all scooter and bikes observed.
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New Grant Coordinators Join the OTS Team
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Kristen Mickey
Kristen is our new grant program coordinator that will manage grants with law enforcement agencies. Her area will include Orange County and San Diego.
She started at the OTS March 2nd and previously worked for the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) as a Customer Service Representative and Business Tax Representative, as well as at Caltrans Headquarters as an Analyst in the Division of Budgets, Capital Outlay Unit.
Kristen looks forward to working with different law enforcement agencies and learning about the variety of programs available to promote traffic safety and save lives.
"I think it's cool to be on the side that's giving them the money to have the means to do more of these activities," she said.
A Sacramento State graduate and Elk Grove native, Kristen enjoys playing soccer, traveling and taking care of her two dogs: Scout, a Border Collie/German Shepherd mix; and Shasta, a Miniature Australian Shepherd.
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Elsie Machado
Elsie started with the OTS as a grant program coordinator March 2nd and is a familiar face around the OTS office! Many at the OTS know Elsie from her previous role with the California Highway Patrol managing the OTS grants.
Before starting a career in state service in 2015, Elsie and her husband Dave ran a dairy farm just south of Elk Grove.
Her husband's family has been in Sacramento County's dairy country since the early 1970s, which is now managed by her son.
Dairy farming is something Elsie said is "a lot of work."
"You start early and you work late," she said.
Elsie and her husband still live on the property, but away from all the action.
"Not so many flies," she said. "Doesn't smell quite so bad."
Elsie will still be around farm country as a grant coordinator: her area will mainly be in the Central Valley working with law enforcement grants.
She is most looking forward to collaborating with other traffic safety partners who share the same goal: saving lives.
"Everybody's on the same mission," she said."
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The OTS Partnering with Sacramento Kings to Educate Fans on Ways to "Go Safely"
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The OTS was outside downtown Sacramento's Golden 1 Center March 1st and 8th meeting with Sacramento Kings fans about ways they can get to and from games safely.
Fans had the opportunity to try on special goggles that simulated the effects of alcohol impairment and drowsiness. It was all an effort to educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving and the importance of using a safe, sober ride to get home.
The OTS has partnered with the Sacramento Kings since 2018, running a series of traffic safety messages inside and outside Golden 1 Center that encourage ways to "go safely."
The outreach events are another way to reach fans and let them know about the OTS and ways they can incorporate safety on their way to and from Golden 1 Center.
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Grantee Spotlight:
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC)
Real DUI Court in Schools Program comes to Antelope's Center High School
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The Real DUI Court in Schools Program was held at Antelope's Center High School February 28th to educate students on the legal consequences of driving under the influence.
Approximately 1,400 students watched the sentencing of a first time DUI offender. They had the opportunity to hear from the judge, prosecution and defendant about the judicial process and the significant consequences that result from driving impaired.
The goal of the program is to empower teens to make the smart choice to not drive impaired or ride with someone who has been drinking.
The program is funded by a grant with the OTS in collaboration with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), California Highway Patrol (CHP), Arrive Alive California, Sacramento County Superior Court and Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
Center High School is one of 18 high schools across the Sacramento region and Southern California that will host a real DUI court during the 2020 grant year.
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Press Release Templates
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2019 Grant
Program Highlights
We funded nearly 300 grants for many innovative programs in 2019. Check out what other grantees have been doing to advance traffic safety on our
Grant Program Highlights
page.
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The California Office of Traffic Safety administers funding for traffic safety programs statewide with the goal of reducing crashes that result in deaths, injuries, and economic losses. 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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OTS Marketing and Public Affairs
All Rights Reserved
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