Research Brief

Research Brief: The Influence of Alcohol Outlet Proximity on Pedestrian Injury Incidence: Insights from Literature

September 8, 2023
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 studies to examine why these crashes occur in the first place and...

Research Brief: Towards a Safer California: Addressing the Road Safety Needs of Older Adults

July 19, 2023
New research brief explores the factors that contribute to road safety needs of older adults

With an aging state population, it is crucial to understand the factors that contribute to road safety among adults aged 65 and older and identify at-risk neighborhoods for targeted interventions. In a new research brief, Towards a Safer California: Addressing Road Safety Needs of Older Adults, UC Berkeley SafeTREC's Graduate Student Researcher Lekshmy Hirandas analyzes fatal and serious injury (FSI) trends and patterns among aging road users, including older pedestrians and...

The Influence of Alcohol Outlet Proximity on Pedestrian Injury Incidence: Insights from Literature

Aqshems Nichols
Jill F. Cooper
Katherine L. Chen
2023

Preventing roadway deaths and injuries due to motor vehicle crashes continues to be a prevailing public health challenge in the United States. Included in this challenge is improving the safety of pedestrians on street and road networks. Researchers and other professionals continue to develop best practices for ameliorating the outcomes of pedestrian crashes by conducting studies that examine why these crashes occur and what steps can be taken to prevent them in the future. To do this, many researchers have employed a systems approach to addressing pedestrian safety by acknowledging that...

Towards a Safer California: Addressing the Road Safety Needs of Older Adults

Lekshmy Hirandas
2023

With an aging state population, it is crucial to understand the factors that contribute to road safety among adults aged 65 and older and identify at-risk neighborhoods for targeted interventions. In this context, this report analyzes fatal and serious injury (FSI) trends and patterns among aging road users, including older pedestrians and bicyclists, with a focus on identifying neighborhoods at risk for crashes based on senior FSI rates. 2178 census tracts (32.7%) were deemed as being potential at-risk neighborhoods, as they all exceeded the state average senior FSI rate of 120 per 100,...

Impact of the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training: Program Insights from the 2023 Follow-Up Survey

Lekshmy Hirandas
2023

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), established in 2009, with funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety. Its main objective is to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety by educating...

The Emergence of Shared E-scooters: Prioritizing Safety

October 29, 2022
New research brief highlights need to ensure e-scooter safety to prevent injury

Innovation continues to create efficient and sustainable means of travel. Among these alternative mobility choices are e-scooters.In a new research brief, The Emergence of Shared E-scooters: Prioritizing Safety, UC Berkeley SafeTREC's Graduate Student Researcher Greg Harasym discusses how while e-scooters provide new opportunities to connect people and transit systems, their deployment also requires deliberate and effective efforts to ensure safety to prevent injury....

The Emergence of Shared E-scooters: Prioritizing Safety

Gregory Harasym
2022

Innovation continues to create efficient and sustainable means of travel. Among these alternative mobility choices are e-scooters. To accommodate for this burgeoning new transportation market, cities have been tasked with adopting new policies and regulations to promote safety and multi-modal integration. Some cities have been reluctant to permit shared e-scooter companies without agreed upon stipulations involving publicly shared data, safety education, e-scooter supply limitations, and subsidized rides for low-income residents. A survey conducted by the City of Oakland in 2019 found that...

Perceptions of Bicycle Safety: A Data and User-Experience Approach

August 30, 2022
New research brief explores the existing bicycle infrastructure in the City of Oakland as it relates to cyclist safety

Climate change has caused unprecedented problems, which has increased efforts to fund sustainable green alternatives, including funding for alternative means of transportation such as active transportation and micro-mobility infrastructure improvements. In a new research brief, Perceptions of Bicycle Safety: A Data and User-Experience Approach, UC Berkeley SafeTREC's Graduate Student Researcher Greg Harasym explores existing bicycle infrastructure in the...

Perceptions of Bicycle Safety: A Data and User-Experience Approach

Gregory Harasym
2022
Climate change has caused unprecedented problems, which has increased efforts to fund sustainable green alternatives. In California, the transportation sector accounts for approximately 50 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. California’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) provides $100 million annually to develop and deploy alternative fuel options, including infrastructure for zero and near-zero emission vehicles. In addition to ARFVTP, Senate Bill 743 was passed in 2013 which re-shaped the focus of traffic analysis from congestion and level...

Peer Influence and Perceptions of Safety

May 2, 2022
New research brief explores the impacts of pluralistic ignorance on traffic safety perceptions

At the heart of active transportation systems are the people that use them. In a new research brief, Peer Influence and Perceptions of Safety, UC Berkeley SafeTREC's Graduate Student Researcher Aqshems Nichols and Co-Director Jill F. Cooper discuss the importance of considering perceptions in traffic safety analyses and the potential for investigating how a psychological phenomenon known as pluralistic ignorance could be shaping those perceptions.

Pluralistic ignorance is a "...