Summary
SB 78 will task the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) with publishing a study that identifies the top 15 locations in the state highway system with the highest rate of vehicle collisions, projects that could improve safety at the identified sites, and any common factors contributing to the delay in the delivery of these projects on or before January 1, 2027.
Background
In California, thousands of people lose their lives or suffer life-changing injuries annually in automobile collisions. In 2023, pedestrian deaths increased to their highest level in 41 years. The disparities in traffic safety are an urgent issue across the state. From rural to urban areas, California streets are getting more dangerous for pedestrians and drivers alike. A 2022 study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found disparities in the risk of travel for low-income communities and communities of color. Additionally, the study revealed Native Americans were found to be 5 times more likely to die while walking in their neighborhood and close to 3 times as likely to die in a passenger vehicle, while Black Americans are 2 times as likely to die per mile in their neighborhood.
Car crashes are consistently a top cause of unintentional injury or death for Californians. California traffic fatalities surged 22% from 2019 to 2022, while severe and fatal traffic crashes resulted in $166 billion in economic and quality-of-life costs for Californians in 2022 alone. Recently, a devastating crash involving a drunk driver speeding at 104 mph in a 45 mph zone, claimed the lives of four Pepperdine University students on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), also infamously known as “Dead Man’s Curve.” In response, the Malibu City Council unanimously voted to consider a motion to declare a state of emergency to free up resources within its jurisdiction to make PCH safer. Consequently, citizens and legislators alike have pushed Caltrans to make changes throughout the state, and after almost 4,000 counted collisions over ten years, there have been few changes along PCH.
It should not take a state of emergency to activate resources for road improvements when money and data are readily available for roads that are prone to fatalities. Regional transportation agencies receive federal and state funds to build, maintain, and develop highways and road improvements. Scattered safety improvements across the state are only a temporary fix, ultimately increasing the burden and expense for road improvements, maintenance, and development in the long run. This delayed response results in a strain on state resources, the budget, tax-payers pocketbooks, and does little to reduce the rising accident/death toll across the state.
Proposal
SB 78 identifies the top 15 locations in the state highway system with the highest rates of vehicle collisions, while assisting the legislature in understanding common delays in prioritizing road safety improvements.