Want to implement lower speed limits in your community? Join SafeTREC, Caltrans, and Rock Miller, PE on Thursday, January 18th at 9:30am PT, SafeTREC to learn how to get started. Register for the webinar today!
Two recently passed state laws (AB 43 and AB 1938) allow local jurisdictions to lower speed limits on locally-controlled streets to better account for safety concerns and surrounding land uses. This includes setting speed limits at 20 mph in business activity districts and allowing speed limits to be reduced below the 85th percentile speed to account for high levels of injury collisions or high volumes of pedestrians and/or bicyclists.
Is your city interested in implementing lower speed limits on specific corridors that meet these criteria but isn’t sure where to start?
In collaboration with Caltrans, UC Berkeley’s SafeTREC and Rock Miller, PE will be hosting a training webinar to help get you started. Topics to be covered include the relationship between speed and safety, current allowances for speed limit reductions under California state law, and tips to help your jurisdiction move forward with setting safer speed limits.
You can register here and the webinar will be recorded for those who are not able to attend.
If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Liza Lutzker at llutzker@berkeley.edu or 202-494-0330 with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.
The Role of Speeding in Traffic Safety
In 2021, 35 percent (or 1509) of all motor vehicle fatalities in California were speeding-related. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects, reduces the amount of time a driver has to react to a dangerous situation, and extends safe stopping distances. Additionally, the higher the impact speed of a crash, the greater the risk of serious injury or death to those involved. Lower vehicle speeds are especially important for protecting vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and bicyclists.
Setting safe speed limits, designing streets to limit the impact of speeding-related crashes, and protecting people even when they make unsafe decisions is part of the Safe Speeds, Safe Roads, and Safe Road Users elements of the Safe System Approach. To learn more about speed-related crash trends, visit SafeTREC’s 2023 SafeTREC Traffic Safety Facts page