News

Join us in welcoming new staff members to the SafeTREC team! 

Simon Kao
Application Programmer

In April, 2023 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released the latest traffic safety data, noting that 42,939 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2021, a 10 percent increase from 2020. Key findings from the report also reveal increasingly dangerous and unsafe roadways for vulnerable road users. Traffic fatalities in 2021 vs 2020 increased 14% for older adults (65+), 13% for pedestrians, and 1.9% for pedalcyclists.

This year, the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) Program will partner with seven communities throughout California to discuss, plan, and implement active transportation safety improvements. We're excited to announce the 2023 CPBST program will launch with our first workshop in Riverside at Arlanza Elementary School on Monday, May 8, 2023 at 8:30am!

After 13 great years of leading safety research at University of California, Berkeley, I’ve decided that it’s time for another challenge and I will be leaving my position as Co-Director of the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC). My time at SafeTREC has been extremely rewarding and I believe that it was also impactful.

With the start of the new year, California saw a number of active transportation bills go into effect. You can find out what bills are now live below!

On February 9, 2023, SafeTREC Researcher Julia Griswold discussed the tragic trend of hit-and-run fatalities for a CBS Sacramento news story about a hit-and-run in Modesto, California with correspondent Ashley Sharp.

In partnership with UC Berkeley SafeTREC, the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has launched a campaign to promote Street Story at a total of eighty-four transit stops in the cities of Berkeley, Sacramento, Chico, and Redding. The tool is also being promoted via social media for the duration of the campaign. The campaign will be running from January 23rd through February 19th, 2023.

This year SafeTREC faculty, staff and graduate students joined transportation professionals from around the world for the Transportation Research Board 102nd Annual Meeting from January 8-12, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Our team had the opportunity to participate in various events, workshops and activities, connect with alum, and present some of our latest transportation safety research on the Safe System approach, automated vehicle safety, bicycle network connectivity, transportation equity, and more.

Work with Us!

The Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) is a program of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Institute of Transportation Studies. The Center’s objective is to prevent injuries from traffic crashes through projects encompassing research, training, public service, and policy. We currently have one position open. Please see the details below and upcoming review date.

SafeTREC is offering free Complete Streets Safety Assessments (CSSAs) to 16 California communities, including cities, counties, and school campuses with a population of over 2,500 people. CSSAs are comprehensive transportation safety assessments that focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety. They help local agencies identify and implement traffic safety solutions that lead to improved safety for all users of California’s roadways.