Needs Assessment: California Safe System Institute for Road Safety
UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) has released the California Safe System Institute for Road Safety Executive Summary, highlighting findings from a statewide Needs Assessment conducted in partnership with Vision Zero Network and Fehr & Peers. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In the summer of 2025, SafeTREC conducted a Needs Assessment to explore the need for, and interest in, a program to support and
nurture California communities’ road safety work to align with an effective Safe System Approach. As part of the Assessment, interviews and surveys were conducted, finding strong interest in such assistance, particularly for peer learning, leadership support opportunities, and more concrete examples of successes to inform individual communities’ work.
The Needs Assessment identified key areas of interest to help advance communities’ road safety efforts, including the need for:
- practical examples of Safe System implementation;
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technical guidance on topics such as managing speeds and designing safe streets in constrained spaces; and
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resources to strengthen internal capacity and leadership buy-in.
Respondents also emphasized challenges such as public resistance to safety changes, reliance on outdated safety frameworks, and limited internal understanding of the Safe System Approach.
Report recommendations
To address these needs, the report recommends establishing a California Safe System Institute for Road Safety, a dedicated, scalable program designed to provide training, peer learning, and leadership development for California communities. The Institute would include two components: a Safe System Cohort Program to provide foundational training and peer learning opportunities, and a Safe System Leadership Academy to support institutionalization of the Safe System Approach and multi-sector collaboration.
“There is a timely opportunity to help communities move from intent to institutionalization,” the summary notes, emphasizing that coordinated, statewide support will be key to achieving California’s safety goals.
Read the full summary for more information. Photo credit: FHWA Zero Deaths and Safe System.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.