Earlier this month, SafeTREC director Julia Griswold presented at a joint Senate informational hearing in Sacramento, convened by California State Senators Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) and Jesse Arreguín (D-Oakland), chairs of the Transportation Committee and Public Safety Committee respectively.
The hearing brought together policymakers, public safety experts, advocates, and stakeholders to examine current driving under the influence (DUI) and traffic safety laws in California, with a focus on identifying opportunities for improving roadway safety across the state through policy reform.
At the hearing, Director Griswold called for a focus on identifying policies and strategies that are the most effective at addressing systemic risk in our transportation system, without requiring perfect driver behavior. The Safe System Approach is based on the assumption that fatalities and serious injuries are preventable and emphasizes the importance of reducing the energy (or crash forces) of the system by accommodating human error and vulnerability. The Safe Systems Pyramid helps us prioritize strategies that require the least individual effort and have the greatest population-level impact.
In her presentation, Director Griswold covered:
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A brief overview of the Safe Systems Pyramid and how it is used to prioritize safety strategies that have greater population-level impacts.
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Why speed is a primary risk factor in traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
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Strategies that have been shown to be effective in reducing speed and speeding, including self-explaining roads, context-sensitive speed limit setting, intelligent speed assistance (ISA), and speed safety cameras.
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How ISA has been used in the U.S., including in fleets and super speeder laws.
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Effective approaches to reduce DUI, including the difference between general deterrence (e.g., sobriety checkpoints and per se DUI reduction) and specific deterrence (e.g., ignition interlock devices), as well as some of the unintended consequences of harsh DUI penalties.
Other presenters included:
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Members of the California State Senate Public Safety Committee
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Thomas Nosewicz, Legal Director, Committee on Revision of the Penal Code
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Stephanie Dougherty, Director, California Office of Traffic Safety
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Steve Gordon, Director, California Department of Motor Vehicles
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Honorable Lisa Rodriguez, San Diego County Superior Court
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Tye Meeks, Special Representative to the Legislature, California Highway Patrol
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Larry Gonzalez, City of Riverside, Chief of Police
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Tara Repka Flores, MADD National Ambassador
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Allison Haley, Napa County District Attorney
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Ellen McDonnell, Contra Costa County Public Defender
You can find more information about the hearing on the California Senate Transportation Committee’s website