UC Berkeley SafeTREC is excited to release the 2023 California Traffic Safety Survey led by Ewald & Wasserman Research Consultants (E&W). This study was conducted on behalf of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) at the University of California, Berkeley.
Speeding and Aggressive Driving Biggest Safety Concern
According to survey responses, the top three safety concerns on California roadways in 2023 were similar to survey findings from 2022, with an increase of responses on these concerns. Speeding and aggressive driving was the biggest safety concern for California drivers (76.6.0% of surveyed drivers vs. 75.0% in 2022), followed by concerns around distracted driving because of texting (74.2% vs. 71.5% in 2022) and drunk driving (68.6% vs. 67.4% in 2022).
2023 Survey responses to "In your opinion, what are the biggest safety problems on California roadways?"
Data has been collected for the traffic safety survey since 2010, and transitioned from in-person interview (intercept) surveys to an online survey in 2020. A total of 2,815 responses were collected in April of 2023. Overall travel behavior and travel mode and frequency of travel were likely affected since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and may have contributed to different perceptions of travel safety. The survey items based on the Safe System approach introduced by the U.S. Department of Transportation that were first introduced in 2022, continued to be a part of the survey in 2023 as well. In 2023, questions about a new safety campaign were also introduced.
Highlights of Key Findings
Explore a selection of key findings from the 2023 survey below:
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“Speeding/Aggressive Driving” was the biggest safety concern for 76.6% of surveyed drivers of the panel, followed by “Distracted Driving because of TEXTING” and “Drunk Driving,” mentioned by 74.2% and 68.6% drivers, respectively.
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Although “Aggressive Driving / Road Rage” remained the most frequently given response as the biggest behavioral change noticed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, “Distracted Driving because of Talking and/or Texting” saw a significant increase in response compared to 2022 - 15.5% in 2022 to 19.1% in 2023
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Consistent with prior data collection waves, “Texting or Checking Phone While Driving” was reported as the most serious distraction overall by 72.4% of all drivers.
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All five factors of the Safe System Approach were rated as “Very Important” by the majority of the respondents, similar to 2022, with “Improve safe streets design to design roads that support all road users, including drivers, pedestrian, bicyclists and transit” being the highest rated factor of all in 2023.
- Overall, and across all California regions, “Driver behavior” was reported to be the most important factor resulting in traffic injuries/fatalities.
- A survey item added in 2022, showed similar distribution in responses, where more than half of the respondents (54.5%) reported to be comfortable sharing the road with bicycles “when there is a protected bike lane divider”
- “Cars going too fast” continues to be the most reported safety problems experienced as a pedestrian or bicyclist consistent with previous years’ data (Table Q23_1 and Q23_2), as reported by 57.1% of the respondents. This is followed by “Cars not stopping” and “Distracted drivers using cell phones”, reported by 53.0% and 40.8% of the respondents, respectively.
Read more about the findings and download the full 2023 survey.
For past reports, view the California Traffic Safety Survey for 2022, 2021 and 2020, the California Speeding and Aggressive Driving Study for 2019, and the California Traffic Safety Survey for 2018.