In California, drivers run red lights daily, putting themselves and others at risk. It is a significant factor in severe injuries and traffic fatalities in California.

According to data from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), in 2023 alone, there were 167 fatalities and nearly 1000 people suffered serious injuries due to red light running and traffic light violations.

While these numbers show a slight decrease from previous years, which saw 228 fatalities and more than 1000 serious injuries. These numbers highlight an ongoing road safety issue that not only affects drivers but also disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as pedestrians, cyclists, and even children.

Therefore, a change needs to be made because of this urgent issue.

Thanks to everyone’s support, SAFE has expanded its legislative work to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers and to advocate for more transit-friendly cities.

The heart of this work is a team of 5 staff and interns working hard to make this happen.

The team is led by Kristen Weiss, SAFE’s Policy and Legislation Coordinator. 

With the new California Legislative term beginning last month, this team has been working on more bills than in any previous year. SAFE is co-sponsoring, supporting, opposing, or requesting amendments on 40 bills and watching another 10. This breaks down to: 

• Co-sponsoring four bills

• Supporting 27 bills

• Requesting amendments to six bills

• Opposing three bills