While recent California legislative reforms grant jurisdictions greater flexibility to lower speed limits, evidence suggests that reductions in posted speed limits alone are insufficient to meaningfully reduce crash severity. This research brief examines how speed limit reductions, when paired with infrastructure design, enforcement strategies, and contextual land-use planning, can more effectively lower FSI outcomes. Aligned with the Safe System Approach, the countermeasure layers of roadway geometry, lighting, bicycle-specific infrastructure, and enforcement shape driver behavior and...
Bicycling provides youth with mobility, independence, and opportunities for physical activity, but head injuries remain a leading risk of biking-related crashes. Helmets are among the most effective tools for preventing serious injury, yet rates of consistent use among children and adolescents remain low and unevenly distributed across demographic groups. This paper reviews evidence on the social, cultural, and structural factors shaping helmet use and examines the role of school-based programs in promoting safer biking practices. Findings indicate that free and subsidized helmet...
UC Berkeley SafeTREC and the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS), a Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC) supported by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and led by the University of New Mexico (UNM), has released a Year 1 (2023-2024) research report titled "A context-sensitive roadway classification framework for speed limit setting in the US" authored by UC Berkeley's Julia Griswold, Cheng-Kai Hsu, Melody Tsao and John Bigham; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Robert...
UC Berkeley SafeTREC has recently released a new research brief titled "An Early Analysis of Speed Safety Camera Program Rollout in California" by former graduate student researcher Kyler Blodgett. The research brief provides an in-depth analysis of California's latest rollout of speed safety camera pilot programs under Assembly Bill 645 (AB 645), which allows 5-year pilots in San Francisco,...
This research brief offers an early analysis of California’s rollout of speed safety camera pilot programs under Assembly Bill 645 (AB 645). No California city has ever had an automated speed camera program before Spring 2025. Documenting the program set-up and early administration experience of the pilot cities will be informative in advancing road safety efforts if speed cameras become more widespread across the state. After examining research on speed camera effectiveness and best practices based on a review of national programs, the brief focuses on Oakland and San Francisco....
Preliminary Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) data for 2024 indicates that traffic crashes caused 3,376 preventable deaths statewide, of which 950 were pedestrians and 148 bicyclists. Additionally, in 2024, there were 16,142 people seriously injured in traffic crashes in California, including 2,531 pedestrians and 1,255 bicyclists. These deaths are unacceptable and preventable. Ensuring that our communities are safe for walking, biking and rolling is critical for community...
The Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training Program (CPBST) is a collaborative effort between the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) at the University of California Berkeley and California Walks (Cal Walks) with funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety. Its main objective is to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety by educating residents and safety advocates, empowering community partners to advocate for safety improvements in their neighborhoods, and fostering collaboration between community participants, local officials, and agency staff....
This paper compares findings from two recent surveys on roadway design preferences among pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, and public transit users along major urban corridors in the metro areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Sponsored by the California Department of Transportation (DOT), the research explored design preferences that could increase perceived traffic safety, walkability, bikability, and economic vitality along urban arterials. Results from intercept surveys showed that roadway users desire similar design features along the test corridors, which carry 25,000-40,000...
New research brief explores potential association between the presence of alcohol outlets and pedestrian injuries
According to the latest annual Spotlight report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), there were 7,508 pedestrian fatalities in 2022, the highest number of people killed while walking since 1981. Preventing these pedestrian crashes is a critical concern, and researchers and road safety professionals have conducted...
