Tribal Road Safety Program

UC Berkeley SafeTREC has been working since 2014 on a variety of projects to improve transportation safety for California’s tribal populations, as well as for all population groups that travel to California’s Rancherias and reservations or through their lands.

Young man with skateboard on Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation road

Photo credit: Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, Tony Dang, California Walks

Improving Transportation Infrastructure on Tribal Lands Using Crowdsourcing Data

The goal of this project is to reduce traffic crash injuries and fatalities by all users of roads on and near Tribal lands in California by utilizing a community engagement survey or tailoring an existing crowdsourcing application to enable tribal communities to have a more active role in making suggestions to improve transportation safety, education, and emergency response times. The project team will collect motor vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle crash data that are not currently being documented by tribal or other law enforcement agencies by crowdsourcing method and will guide the use of the data to improve road safety and mobility in and around tribal communities in the State. This project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Learn more about this project.

Tribal Transportation Safety Assessment (TTSA)

UC Berkeley SafeTREC is inviting 12 California Tribes to apply for the next round of Tribal Transportation Safety Assessments (TTSAs), to be completed by September 30, 2023. TTSA studies will be based on the Tribal communities' input about their transportation choices, challenges and opportunities, and can help Tribal staff and leadership plan and prioritize safety improvements for all travel modes (walking, bicycling, transit, driving) on Tribal roads and pathways, and on roads accessing Tribal lands. TTSAs can be in-person or conducted virtually.

NEW TTSA Tutorial Presentations - "How to Conduct a Transportation Safety Assessment for your Tribe"

These online live presentations can be requested by any interested Tribe for their staff and scheduled during August and September of 2023. During these 1 to 2-hour presentations, our transportation safety experts will provide information about how to conduct a transportation safety assessment and cover various transportation safety topics.

Learn more about the TTSA program.

Tribal Road Safety Data Collection Project

Since 2014, SafeTREC has collaborated with the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) to provide guidance and assistance to California tribes to improve the quality and quantity of traffic crash data collected on and near tribal areas, address the issue of under-reporting of crash data, conduct training and provide technical assistance to tribal enforcement agencies, and facilitate crash data collection and analysis. Learn more about this project.

Tribal Crash Data Tool (Tribal TIMS)

Are you interested in learning more about how SafeTREC is working to improve tribal road safety with the development of tools and resources? Be sure to visit our Tribal Crash Data Tool page for details on our tribal data tool that provides tribes with access to web-based interactive analysis and mapping tool for tribal areas.

Tribal Street Story Tool

UC Berkeley SafeTREC has adapted its Street Story tool for use in and by Tribal communities in California. Street Story is an online engagement platform that allows residents to collect information on transportation crashes, near misses, hazards, and safe places to travel. The Tribal Street Story tool will allow for the collection of community-generated data on road conditions and transportation safety issues in and near tribal lands.

Resources for improving tribal road safety

Explore our selection of tribal road safety tools and resources, including toolkits, reports, guides, funding opportunities and more. Visit the Resources page.

Tribal Road Safety Event Policy

These events are not organized, sponsored or officially supported by the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC). They have been gathered to share with the SafeTREC community as a resource for promoting tribal road safety and do not represent an endorsement of any group, organization, or perspective.

Tribal Transportation Safety Assessment (TTSA) State Planning Research (SPR)

UC Berkeley SafeTREC in collaboration with National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) conducted the Tribal Transportation Safety Assessment (TTSA) - State Planning Research (SPR) project, funded by the California Department of Transportation(link is external) (Caltrans), Native American Liaison Branch, Office of Race and Equity. This project provided seven (7) Federally-Recognized California Native American Tribal Governments with expert, focused, and independent Tribal Transportation Safety Assessments (TTSA). Learn more about this project.

Active Transportation Needs Assessments (ATNA) with California Native American Tribes

SafeTREC in partnership with the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) and the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria conducted the Active Transportation Needs Assessments (ATNA) for ten (10) Federally-Recognized California Native American Tribes. These assessments documented current and projected needs and safety concerns of pedestrians and bicyclists (including connections with transit where applicable) in the participating tribal communities; the existing conditions of roadway, pedestrian, bicycle, and infrastructure facilities; and recommended short-term and long-term improvements (infrastructure and non-infrastructure). Learn more about this project.

For more information about all our programs for tribal road safety, please contact us via e-mail at safetrec@berkeley.edu or download our Tribal Road Safety Resources flyer.

Funding for the Tribal Road Safety Program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Topics

Tribal road safety topic page

Tribal Road Safety Program