SCAG Receives Grant for Go Human Traffic Safety Program

Press Release

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has been awarded a $1.18 million grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to fund continued work on its regional traffic safety and community engagement program, Go Human.

Southern California has some of the highest levels of injuries and fatalities in the United States among pedestrians and bicyclists. Overall, an average of more than four people die and 15 people are seriously injured every day 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 32 percent of those deaths despite comprising only 3 percent of all trips. SCAG data shows that 70 percent of all collision are on local roads.

SCAG launched the Go Human program in 2015 in an effort to reduce collisions, improve safety for people walking and biking and raise awareness of the importance of traffic safety.

 “Go Human brings tangible resources to our cities throughout Southern California, empowering communities to further their local traffic safety efforts and make safer streets a reality,” said SCAG President Jan Harnik, Riverside County Transportation Commission Member and Mayor of Palm Desert.

The new OTS grant will fund continued Go Human activities through Sept. 30, 2023 which include:

  • Community Hubs grants to fund local jurisdiction and community organization partners to provide traffic safety and community resources and services;
  • Local and regional communication campaigns and storytelling strategies, including oral histories and futures, centering community narratives;
  • Safe & Resilient Streets Strategies to implement street activations and demonstrations utilizing Go Human’s Kit of Parts Lending Library of resources;
  • Co-Branded Safety Advertisements, including print and digital graphics provided at no cost to jurisdictions and community partners who have committed to the Go Human Safety Pledge.

SCAG will continue to prioritize engagement and collaboration with local elected officials, city staff and community-based organizations that serve communities disproportionately impacted by collisions.

These Go Human initiatives will help SCAG and its partners ensure that the streets of the region are safe for those who walk, bike and drive. With this funding from OTS, SCAG Go Human continues to play a role in recovery and resiliency efforts amid the pandemic, during which, according to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic fatalities have reached a record high.

Since 2018, SCAG has distributed more than $893,000 directly to community-based organizations to implement safety projects and distributed thousands of co-branded safety advertisements to local jurisdictions. Through the programs supported by this funding, Go Human will continue to build partnerships to implement projects across the region, guided by a holistic, equity-centered approach to safety.

“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 from OTS allows us to build on work that advances equitable community engagement, promotes healthy and healing communities, supports local safety champions, and shifts the culture around safety and accessibility in Southern California.”

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information on SCAG’s Go Human program, visit: https://scag.ca.gov/go-humanhttps://scag.ca.gov/go-human