SCAG Receives $2.28 Million for Traffic Safety Programs

News

The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) awarded $2.28 million in grant funding to SCAG to improve transportation safety, including funding for a new regional safety data analysis and modeling platform and continued work on the Go Human regional traffic safety and community engagement program. 

Southern California has among the highest rates of injuries and fatalities in the United States among pedestrians and bicyclists. Every day, an average of more than four people die, and 16 people are seriously injured in traffic collisions in the six-county SCAG region (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties). People walking or riding bikes account for nearly 34 percent of regional traffic deaths despite comprising only about five percent of all trips. 

One of the two recently awarded OTS grants, for $922,456, will support the continued development and enhancement of a regional transportation safety predictive modeling and data analysis platform. The platform will model, predict, and analyze safety risks on Southern California’s multimodal transportation system. 

“Transportation safety is one of the most important issues we face as a region and is one of SCAG’s highest priorities. These new and more dynamic data resources and safety analytical methods will help us significantly enhance the safety of our multimodal transportation system,” said SCAG Regional Council President Curt Hagman, a San Bernardino county supervisor. 

The safety data platform will help reduce the number and severity of roadway collisions occurring in the region by leveraging innovative technologies and safety data resources, such as connected vehicle information systems and newly available collision risk modeling capabilities. 

OTS also granted $1.36 million to continue SCAG’s Go Human program, which launched in 2015 to reduce collisions, improve safety for people walking and biking, and raise awareness of the importance of traffic safety. The newly awarded OTS grant will fund continued Go Human activities through Sept. 30, 2025, which include: 

  • An update to Go Human’s traffic safety artwork as Go Human prepares to enter its 10th year of programming. 
  • Development of an accessibility assessment to evaluate Go Human programs and improve accessibility and equitable distribution of program resources. 
  • Support of community expert education services for community-based organizations to perform work that advances traffic safety education in the region.  

OTS-funded activities in 2025 will leverage a five-year, $12 million grant from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. The SS4A grant will expand the reach of SCAG’s Go Human work, such as Kit of Parts technical assistance, co-branded safety messaging, and the Go Human Community Streets Grant Program, which has distributed more than $1.7 million to community-based organizations since 2018.  

“Go Human fosters innovative solutions that build the capacity of our region to improve safety for those most affected by traffic violence, especially pedestrians and bicyclists,” said SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise. “This funding allows us to continue our partnership with OTS in working to shift the culture around safety and accessibility in Southern California.” 

For more information on SCAG’s Go Human program, visit the Go Human website.