SCAG Opens 2019 Regional Conference With Laser Beam Focus on Improving Transportation Safety in Communities Across the Six-County Region

Public education, planning and designing safer streets and closer collaboration with law enforcement pare keys to reducing a growing number of fatalities and serious injuries from traffic collisions throughout Southern California, experts said Wednesday.

Appearing at the Traffic Safety Leadership Symposium, sponsored by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), experts in planning, safety and urban design said more needs to be done to make roads safer for everyone who walks, bikes and rides.

Overall, more than 1,500 people die and 136,000 are injured in collisions in Southern California each year. Most of those collisions (71%) occur on local streets – not freeways.

The sheer size of the SCAG region – six counties, 191 cities and 19 million people – heightens the need for greater planning and coordination when it comes to safe roadways, experts said. Each day, 270 collisions occur on streets within the region.

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