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November 2022

49ers Partner with Office of Traffic Safety and Caltrans to Promote Safe Driving Practices

Throughout this season, the 49ers and Levi'sⓇ Stadium will promote the "Go Safely" game plan across digital and social channels including 49ers.com and LevisStadium.com. To kick off the messaging, 49ers DL Drake Jackson sent out a message to the Faithful, encouraging them to plan ahead when consuming alcohol.

"One of our organization's highest priorities is fan and employee safety, which isn't limited to just at Levi's Stadium or just during the football season," said Jim Mercurio, 49ers Executive Vice President and Levi's Stadium General Manager. "Road safety is such an important message, so we are more than happy to use our platform as community leaders to be mindful and encourage safe driving habits throughout our region."

"The 49ers have an active and loyal fanbase," said OTS Director Barbara Rooney. "Our goal is for fans to share that same loyalty with choosing a safer, sober way to travel."

"49ers Faithful: Just like the offensive line protects the quarterback, you can help protect our highway workers and everyone on the road by choosing a sober way to get home," said Tony Tavares, Caltrans Director. "And when you see a Caltrans truck, flashing amber lights or traffic cones, have our workers' backs by slowing down, paying attention and being work zone alert."

As part of the partnership, 49ers.com will undergo a complete "Go Safely" takeover for one holiday during the NFL offseason. Upon launching the site, all visitors will see graphics and a pop-up message encouraging them to drive safely and plan ahead when consuming alcohol.

Additional messaging will focus on highway work zone safety, emphasizing the importance of slowing down and being extra aware when approaching and passing by roadside workers and emergency responders.

Sacramento Kings Encourages Fans

to "Go Safely" on Opening Night

On Oct. 19, the Sacramento Kings tipped off the 2022-23 season at the Golden 1 Center. Now in its fifth year, the partnership between the Kings and OTS promotes the importance of having fun responsibly and not driving under the influence of alcohol during games and events at the Golden 1 Center.

Fans will see "Go Safely" messages throughout the Golden 1 Center, the team’s website, mobile app and social media channels reminding fans and event attendees about practicing safe road behaviors with a "Go Safely" game plan to get to and from games and events.

Ford Driving Skills for Life Kicks

Off Southern California Tour

with Arcadia Event

OTS Director Barbara Rooney joined Ford Motor Company Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) for the Ford Driving Skills for Life program and its hands-on training clinic at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 29.

Ford Driving Skills for Life helps newly licensed teen drivers gain additional practice and skills behind the wheel. Car crashes are a leading cause of death for newly licensed teen drivers, and they are twice as likely as adult drivers to be in a fatal crash. Moreover, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic deaths across all age groups reached a 13-year high in 2020, despite a decline in driving during the pandemic. Crashes are attributed to driver inexperience and poor decision-making.

The two-day event drew more than 300 area teen drivers and their parents for free hands-on driver training focusing on skills they need to stay safe behind the wheel. Ford Fund has provided free driver training to more than 1 million newly licensed drivers in all 50 states and 46 countries, committing more than $60 million to this program, now in its 19th year.



Spots are still available for the upcoming sessions at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on Dec. 3-4 and Manheim San Diego on Dec. 10-11.



To register, visit www.drivingskillsforlife.com. If you would like materials to promote the events in your community, please contact the Marketing and Public Affairs team at [email protected]. Photos by: Sam VarnHagen

Safety is a two-way street. Caltrans workers are on our state’s highways every day keeping drivers safe, but also rely on safe drivers to protect them so the workers can go home to their loved ones who depend on them.

To highlight the importance of slowing down when passing highway workers, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) will launch a joint media campaign with an event Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.

The new “Move Over” campaign features children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of Caltrans workers asking drivers to be alert, slow down and move over a lane to safely pass around highway workers.

“Caltrans workers are mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles who have loved ones who need them to come home,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “For your safety, and the safety of all roadside workers and emergency responders, please be alert and slow down.”

The campaign will run through January 2023 and feature billboards of Caltrans workers from throughout the state with their families, as well as video messages on social media and audio messages on radio and streaming services.

California’s “Move Over” law requires all drivers to move over a lane or, if they are unable to do so safely, slow down when they see amber flashing lights on Caltrans vehicles, emergency vehicles and tow trucks.

Despite being on the books since 2009, not everyone understands the Move Over law. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, nearly 25% of people surveyed were unaware there was a Move Over law in their state.

Since 1921, 191 Caltrans employees have been killed on the job.

Impact Teen Drivers (ITD) was recognized by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) with the 2022 Peter K. O’Rourke Special Achievement Award for its commitment to teen traffic safety and ending reckless and distracted driving, the leading causes of teen fatal crashes. ITD was presented the award during the GHSA 2022 Annual Meeting.

A recipient of OTS funding through a grant with the California Highway Patrol, ITD reaches more than 500,000 teens and teen influencers through online and school presentations, community events, and workshops, many provided in partnership with State Highway Safety Offices. ITD programs and resources are provided free of charge to teens, parents, educators, first responders and other safety champions in communities across the nation.

The Peter K. O'Rourke Special Achievement Awards recognize notable achievements in the field of highway safety by individuals, coalitions, organizations, nonprofit groups, businesses, media, government agencies, universities or programs.

New Employee Spotlight

Angela joins the OTS from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 3 in Marysville, where she served as one of the lead public information officers (PIOs) for projects in the Sacramento area, including the “FixSac99” project. Angela has nearly 11 years of experience as a PIO with Caltrans, including stints with District 10 in Stockton and Caltrans Headquarters in Sacramento. Prior to joining state service, Angela worked for CBS Television in Sacramento, receiving two Emmys for her work. She also interned for KCRA-TV (NBC Sacramento) and was a sports writer for the Elk Grove Citizen.

Angela loves sports and has been coaching girls high school basketball for nearly 25 years. She is entering her fourth season coaching at Sacramento High School. In her spare time, Angela enjoys watching movies and surfing.

We asked Angela a few questions to get to know her.

Answers may have been edited for length and clarity.

What are you looking forward to most in your new role?

It is an honor to be part of the Office of Traffic Safety team and promote messages that will help save people’s lives. I am passionate about promoting traffic safety because I lost loved ones in traffic-related incidents. I am looking forward to engaging with diverse communities and educating the public on the importance of not driving impaired, distracted or reckless. My goal is to develop outreach campaigns that are direct, diverse and memorable that will reduce and help eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries on California’s roadways. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues and partners on making California roadways safe for all users.

What is your favorite movie?

I do not have a favorite movie but I love The Goonies, Willow, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Disney, DC and Marvel movies. I am not a fan of scary movies.

One day to unplug. No strings attached. What would that day look like?

Going to the beach for the day then going out to dinner with friends and coming home to watch a movie.

What or who inspires you?

My grandmother, Antonia. She was an awesome lady. She was very well respected due to her kindness and generosity. She raised eight kids and worked two jobs. My grandmother is inspirational because she moved to the United States from Mexico and had to start a new career and life. In Mexico, she was a teacher but in the United States she had to work in the fields and the canneries. She sent all her kids to college and was the backbone of our family.

As part of its ongoing efforts through the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) to prioritize safety and meet milestones laid out in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced in a press release new guidance to help states address the nationwide crisis of roadway deaths. Vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and people who use wheelchairs, accounted for approximately 20% of the 42,915 people who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2021, according to the National Highway Safety Administration – an increase of 13% over 2020.

The guidance will provide additional clarity for states as they develop their Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment, a new approach established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to assess the safety performance of individual states, identify areas of high risk to vulnerable road users, and determine what safety improvements will mitigate these risks.

“It is up to all of us to keep those who walk, bike or roll safe as they travel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Because of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, states have new resources to improve safety for vulnerable travelers, make our roads safer and more accessible for all, and help move us closer to reaching the ultimate vision of zero fatalities.” 

By law, the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessments developed by states to identify areas of high risk must be driven by demographic and performance-related data developed in consultation with local governments that represent high risk areas as well. In developing these assessments, FHWA is encouraging states to work with institutional, advocacy and community groups, particularly those that represent populations that are involved in these crashes and reside in the locations where fatalities and serious injuries are occurring.

Once completed, FHWA encourages states to use their Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment findings to adjust project selection and investment strategies. FHWA’s guidance on the assessment will help states follow that legal requirement as they work to reduce roadway fatalities and improve the safety of road users who walk, bike, roll and rely on access to transportation systems.

“This guidance can help states identify what safety issues for those outside of a vehicle need to be addressed and where,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “States are then positioned to incorporate the results as they make decisions about their safety investments. It also improves transportation equity by making sure extensive dialogue with relevant stakeholders takes place and the concerns of those most at risk in towns, cities and underserved communities are heard through better public engagement at the local level.”

The Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment guidance complements the NRSS, U.S. DOT’s comprehensive approach to reach zero fatalities on our nation’s roadways through a Safe System Approach. Earlier this month U.S. DOT released a dashboard to provide stakeholders with more transparency about the implementation status of key NRSS programs and activities across U.S. DOT.

Expanding safe walking and biking options is a top priority for the state and the OTS. The OTS dedicated nearly $9 million in grant programs, on top of the state’s additional $1.05 billion for active transportation projects as part of a larger, multi-year infrastructure package.

Last December, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) established a “complete streets” policy for all new transportation projects it funds or oversees to include features that provide safe and accessible options for people walking, biking and taking transit.

GHSA Report: States Need to Address Issues Impacting E-Scooter Safety

As the presence of electric scooters continues to grow in many U.S. cities, so do the safety risks that come with them.

The number of e-scooter-related emergency room visits in the U.S. has surged by nearly 450% – from 7,700 in 2017 to 42,200 in 2021 – according to a recent report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. And those estimates likely represented an undercount, the federal agency added.

E-scooters can become safety hazards for many reasons, such as when they obstruct sidewalks when parked, are used by riders who are inexperienced, distracted or impaired, and when colliding with cars or pedestrians on sidewalks or roadways, according to a report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Transportation Research Board.

But a smaller share of riders is taking precautions as e-scooters grow in popularity. According to the TRB report, few riders wear helmets, even though they prevent injury. Based on its review of 307 e-scooter injury cases, the CPSC estimates that 52% had worn a helmet. Regardless, most e-scooter injuries to riders occurred on the head or upper body, though most “were low severity,” the TRB report stated.

Infrastructure can also factor into safety, as evidence shows that jurisdictions with more extensive bike lane networks were safer for e-scooter use, the TRB report stated. Many crashes involve physical structures such as curbs, maintenance hole covers and utility poles. In addition, roadway irregularities such as potholes and uneven surfaces are a greater danger to scooter riders than to bicycle riders, according to the report.

Learn more at GHSA.org.

Networks of Protected Bike Lanes Are Key to Reducing Transport Emissions, New Report Finds

This report is one of the first empirical measures of GHG reductions from networks of protected bicycle lanes in low- and middle-income countries, specifically examining the impacts of the extensive networks that exist in the major cities of Bogotá, Colombia and Guangzhou, China. Using cyclist counts and intercept surveys, combined with lifecycle emission factors for various modes, this study estimates that these networks prevent the emission of about 22,000 tons of CO2-eq per year in Bogotá and 16,000 in Guangzhou. In each city, this is equivalent to the amount of carbon that would be cut off by planting 300,000 to 400,000 new trees every year.

“Cities need to be designed for the well-being, safety, and health of people. Having robust networks of protected cycle lanes is key to ensuring more sustainable and inclusive urban mobility,” said ITDP CEO Heather Thompson in a press release. “This report presents crucial evidence that extensive networks of protected lanes lead to more cycling, which in turn helps to reduce GHG emissions by reducing cars on the road.”

SafeTREC is offering free Complete Streets Safety Assessments (CSSA) to 16 California communities, including cities, counties, and school campuses with a population of over 2,500 people. CSSAs are comprehensive transportation safety assessments that focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety. They help local agencies identify and implement traffic safety solutions that lead to improved safety for all users of California’s roadways. Learn more about the CSSA program.

Apply now for a CSSA

To apply for a CSSA in your community, please submit an application by Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2023. Visit the CSSA webpage for more information and a link to the application. Have questions about the program? Please contact UC Berkeley SafeTREC at: [email protected].

Publications and Resources

Release Templates

New "Go Safely" Public Service Announcements

Law Enforcement Liaison (LEL) Program

Safer California Conference

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