http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/its_tsc_facts/rss Recent eScholarship items from Fact Sheet Fri, 15 May 2026 06:46:29 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9337t614 <p>The UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) has released the California Traffic Safety Survey 2024. The study was led by Ewald &amp; Wasserman Research Consultants (E&amp;W) and conducted on behalf of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and SafeTREC.</p><p>The California Traffic Safety Survey has been conducted annually since 2010 to gain a better understanding of a range of traffic safety behaviors, and to help inform traffic safety programs and public education campaigns. This year’s survey was conducted with an online panel of California drivers in all California counties for a total of 2,507 respondents, with the majority of those surveyed (57.9% weighted) coming from Southern California and falling within the 18-44 age range.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9337t614 Tue, 1 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Peterson, Lisa Nguyen Vo, Karen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/91z1m2jm <p>The use of cannabis, prescription drugs, and other drugs are increasingly prominent on roadways in the&nbsp;United States, where 25.1 percent of the nation’s 36,096 fatalities in 2019 were related to drug-involved&nbsp;driving. Driving can be impaired by a variety of legal and illegal drugs, substances, and medications. Several&nbsp;states have legalized the use of medical and/or recreational cannabis, increasing concerns about traffic safety.&nbsp;Aside from alcohol, cannabis is the most frequently detected drug in drivers who are in crashes. The impact of&nbsp;drugs on the brain and behavior varies considerably depending on the type of drug and how it is metabolized.&nbsp;There are also large variations across jurisdictions in the frequency of testing suspected impaired drivers for&nbsp;drugs, the consistency of laboratory drug testing practices, and the capacity of law enforcement. Despite&nbsp;challenges in identifying causality and impairment, there is agreement that many... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/91z1m2jm Mon, 19 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98x636h8 A speeding-related crash is defined as one where a driver is speeding, racing, driving too fast for the conditions, or driving in excess of the posted speed limit. In the United States, in 2018, over one in four (25.7 percent) fatalities involved speeding, a steady decline from a decade ago. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects, reduces the amount of time a driver has to react to a dangerous situation, and extends safe stopping distances. Analyses presented in the police traffic services program area refer to speeding-related fatal and serious injuries. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98x636h8 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/93d4s34n A speeding-related collision is defined as one where a driver is speeding, racing, driving too fast for the conditions, or driving in excess of the posted speed limit. In the United States, over one in four (26.2 percent) fatalities involved speeding, a steady decline from a decade ago. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects, reduces the amount of time a driver has to react to a dangerous situation, and extends safe stopping distances. Analyses presented in the police traffic services program area refer to speeding-related fatal and serious injuries. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/93d4s34n Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9148q37j While alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have fallen significantly in the last three decades, NHTSA reports that alcohol-impaired&nbsp;driving still comprises a large percentage of traffic injuries and fatalities. On average in 2018, one person died from an alcohol impaired&nbsp;driving crash every 50 minutes. There was a decrease in the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities and rate per 100&nbsp;million VMT in the United States between 2017 and 2018. Analyses from SWITRS presented in this program area refer to alcohol&nbsp;involvement and include fatalities and serious injuries where law enforcement reported a driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist to have been&nbsp;drinking. Crashes in the program area are defined as one where one or more drivers, pedestrians, or bicyclists is alcohol-impaired&nbsp;or had been drinking (alcohol-involved) depending on which data set is used. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9148q37j Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r63k6sh Everyone is a pedestrian, whether or not walking is one’s primary mode of travel. As a commute mode,&nbsp;walking is gaining in numbers. In its 2020 report, “Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State, 2019 Preliminary&nbsp;Data” the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reports that pedestrian fatalities in the nation have&nbsp;increased disproportionately to other traffic deaths. Pedestrian fatalities as a proportion of total motor vehicle&nbsp;deaths increased from 12 percent in 2009 to 17 percent in 2018. Moreover, pedestrian fatalities increased 53&nbsp;percent from 2009 to 2018 while other traffic deaths increased by 2 percent. Further, GHSA estimates 6,590&nbsp;pedestrians were fatally injured in 2019, a 5 percent increase from 2018, continuing an increasing trend and&nbsp;the largest number of pedestrian fatalities nationwide since 1988. This report found that in 2018 the highest&nbsp;proportion of pedestrian fatalities (59 percent) occurred on non-freeway arterials,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r63k6sh Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8gj1h56s <p>Driving can be impaired by a variety of legal and illegal drugs, substances, and medications. These various substances&nbsp;can impair cognition, attention, coordination, and other brain functions critical to driving safety. Unlike alcohol, the&nbsp;mechanism for absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs from the body, as well as cognitive and behavioral&nbsp;effects differ greatly.</p><p>Analyses from SWITRS presented in this program area refer to drug-involvement and include fatal and serious injuries&nbsp;where law enforcement reported the driver to be under the influence of drugs. Crashes in the program area are defined&nbsp;as where one or more drivers tested positive for a drug that could cause impairment or was reported as driving under&nbsp;the influence of drugs, depending on which data set is used.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8gj1h56s Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fk9x81v The use of cannabis, prescription drugs, and other drugs are increasingly prominent on roadways in the United States,where 25.3 percent of the nation’s 38,824 fatalities in 2020 were related to drug-involved driving. Driving can beimpaired by a variety of legal and illegal drugs, substances, and medications. The effect of specific drugs on behaviorand driving skills vary considerably depending on how they act in the brain and are metabolized. They can slow reactiontime, decrease coordination, increase aggressive and reckless driving, impair cognitive function, or cause drowsiness.All of these effects can contribute to crash risk.Studies suggest that poly-drug use or combining alcohol and drugs can inflate the level of driver impairment and crashrisk. There is variation across jurisdictions in the frequency of testing suspected impaired drivers for drugs, consistencyin laboratory drug testing practices, and capacity of law enforcement personnel. Despite challenges in identifyingcausality... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fk9x81v Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/866190kb California has long been a center of motorcycling and is home to much of the motorcycle industry. In fact, the state has more motorcyclists than any other US state. There are more than 800,000 registered motorcycles in the state, followed by 550,000 in Florida and 445,000 in Texas. As a consequence, California is also a leader in motorcycle collision-related deaths each year.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/866190kb Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rice, Thomas https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80x91883 <p>The older adult population in the United States aged 65 and older is expected to almost double between&nbsp;2016 and 2060, from 49 million to 95 million. In 2018, there were 6,907 people aged 65 or older killed in&nbsp;a traffic crash in the United States; this accounted for 18.9 percent of all traffic fatalities. To provide context,&nbsp;the overall population aged 65 or older accounted for 14.9 percent of people in the United States and 19.4&nbsp;percent of all licensed drivers in 2017. California has the largest number of licensed drivers aged 65 or older&nbsp;in the nation with 4,251,349, or 15.9 percent of all licensed drivers in the state. However, as drivers age,&nbsp;physical and mental changes including reduced visual acuity, increased fragility, restricted movement, and&nbsp;cognitive impairment can directly and indirectly result in age-related driving impairments.</p><p>Analyses presented in this section include fatal and serious injuries to drivers, passengers,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80x91883 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xk987n6 In 2016, there were 34,439 fatal crashes and countless more injury crashes in the United States. Increased coordination between first responders, hospitals, and other traffic safety stakeholders, along with better-quality Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data collection, would enhance planning efforts to improve first responder time to collisions. In emergency medicine, practitioners have a “golden hour,” sometimes less, following traumatic injury wherein prompt medical attention offers the highest chance to prevent death. Thus, improved timeliness and technologies, proximity to care, and roadway access increase a victim’s chance of survival.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xk987n6 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mv9j60m <p>Restraint devices such as seat belts are a key element of motor vehicle occupant protection systems. Each&nbsp;year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts the National Occupant Protection&nbsp;Use Survey (NOPUS) that measures, among many variables, the use of seat belts by occupants age eight&nbsp;and older. The 2019 NOPUS reported that seat belt use was 90.7 percent among front-seat passengers, a&nbsp;slight increase from the 89.6 percent observed in 2018. Additionally, the 2019 survey found that seat belt use&nbsp;increased during both weekday rush hours and non-rush hours. Use during weekday rush hours increased&nbsp;from 89.3 percent in 2018 to 90.7 percent in 2019 and use during non-rush hours increased from 89.1 percent&nbsp;in 2018 to 90.8 percent in 2019.</p><p>Analyses presented in the occupant protection program area include fatal and serious injuries where a&nbsp;driver or passenger in a passenger vehicle was unrestrained. Occupant protection... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mv9j60m Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gw0s9jp Crashes involving motorcycles are a major traffic safety concern in the United States. Since motorcycle riders are&nbsp;susceptible to injury during crashes, they comprise a disproportionate share of all injured and killed vehicle occupants.&nbsp;In 2017, motorcycle riders were 27 times more likely than passenger car occupants to be fatally injured in a traffic crash,&nbsp;per vehicle miles traveled. The primary countermeasures used to address this problem have included motorcycle&nbsp;helmet laws and other helmet-oriented programs, rider training and licensing programs, vehicle enhancements&nbsp;including anti-lock braking technology, rider conspicuity programs, campaigns to increase other road users’ awareness&nbsp;of motorcycles, and campaigns to reduce impaired riding. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gw0s9jp Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ck6q74m <p>A speeding-related crash is defined as one where a driver is speeding, racing, driving too fast for the conditions, or driving in excess of the posted speed limit. In the United States, in 2020, over one in four (29.0 percent) fatalities involved speeding, a rate that increased after plateauing in the late 2010s, following a decline earlier in the decade. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects, reduces the amount of time a driver has to react to a dangerous situation, and extends safe stopping distances. Analyses presented in the police traffic services program area refer to speeding-related fatal and serious injuries.&nbsp;</p><p>The United States Department of Transportation uses the Safe System Approach to work towards zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries. Reducing kinetic energy is central to the Safe System approach. The Safe System Approach recognizes human mistakes and vulnerabilities, and designs a system with many redundancies... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ck6q74m Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/78h690mx <p>Restraint devices such as seat belts are a key element of motor vehicle occupant protection systems. Each year, NHTSA conducts the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) that measures, among many variables, the use of seat belts by occupants age eight and older. The 2019 NOPUS reported that seat belt use was 90.7 percent among front-seat passengers, a slight increase from the 89.6 percent observed in 2018. Additionally, the 2019 survey found that seat belt use increased during both weekday rush hours and non rush hours. Use during weekday rush hours increased from 89.3 percent in 2018 to 90.7 percent in 2019 and&nbsp;use during non-rush hours increased from 89.1 percent in 2018 to 90.8 percent in 2019.</p><p>Historically, road safety efforts focused on changing human behaviors to prevent crashes. The Safe System approach reframes efforts to save lives by expecting crashes to happen and focusing attention on reducing the severity of injuries when a crash occurs. By... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/78h690mx Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6h365015 <p>A speeding-related crash is defined as one where a driver is speeding, racing, driving too fast for the conditions,&nbsp;or driving in excess of the posted speed limit. In the United States, in 2019, over one in four (26.3 percent)&nbsp;fatalities involved speeding, a proportion that has remained steady since 2017 following a decline in the prior&nbsp;decade. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects, reduces the amount of&nbsp;time a driver has to react to a dangerous situation, and extends safe stopping distances.</p><p>Historically, road safety efforts focused on changing human behaviors to prevent crashes. The Safe System&nbsp;approach reframes efforts to save lives by expecting crashes to happen and focusing attention on reducing&nbsp;the severity of injuries when a crash occurs. By understanding the nuances of speeding-related crashes,&nbsp;transportation professionals can better address every aspect of crash risks and implement multiple... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6h365015 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/66t9v5b2 <p>There are many contributing factors in motor vehicle crashes. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role post-crash to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Recent studies show that an effective emergency trauma care system can improve survival from serious injuries by as much as 25 percent and county-level coordinated systems of trauma care can reduce crash fatalities rates as much as 50 percent.&nbsp;</p><p>The United States Department of Transportation uses the Safe System Approach to bring traffic deaths and serious injuries to zero. The Safe System Approach recognizes human mistakes and vulnerabilities, and designs a system with many redundancies in place to protect everyone. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) names “Post-Crash Care” as a key element of a Safe System. Specifically, post-crash care refers to emergency first response and transport to medical facilities, as well as forensic analysis of the crash site and traffic incident management.&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/66t9v5b2 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vh1z13d <p>The older adult population in the United States aged 65 and older is expected to almost double between 2016 and 2060, from 49 million to 95 million. In 2020, there were 6,549 people aged 65 and older killed in traffic crashes in the United States; this accounted for 16.9 percent of all traffic fatalities. Older drivers 65 and older involved in fatal crashes decreased by 9.8 percent between 2019 and 2020.&nbsp;</p><p>As drivers age, physical and mental changes including reduced visual acuity, increased fragility, restricted movement, and cognitive impairment may directly and indirectly result in driving impairments.</p><p>The United States Department of Transportation uses the Safe System Approach to work towards zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The Safe System Approach recognizes human mistakes and vulnerabilities, and designs a system with many redundancies in place to protect everyone. Designing streets to limit the impact of kinetic energy transfer in crashes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vh1z13d Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5qj7r75t <p>Everyone is a pedestrian, whether or not walking is one’s primary mode of travel. As a commute mode, walking is gaining in numbers. In 2020, pedestrian deaths accounted for 16.8 percent of all crash fatalities and nearly one-quarter (24.3 percent) of pedestrian fatalities involved a hit-and-run crash. From 2011 to 2020, pedestrian fatalities increased 46.2 percent while other traffic deaths only increased by 14.4 percent. From 2019 to 2020, pedestrian fatalities increased 3.9 percent, despite a 13.2 percent reduction in driving. Compared with all other racial categories, American Indian/Alaska Native persons had a substantially higher per-capita rate of fatalities among pedestrians. Black persons had the second highest rate of pedestrian traffic deaths. Preliminary 2021 data suggest that this trend will continue in the near future, reporting that 8,730 people died in roadway fatalities in the first quarter, a 10.5 percent increase from the same period in 2020.&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5qj7r75t Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56x5c96m The older adult population in the United States aged 65 and older is expected to almost double between 2012 and 2050, from 43.1 million to 83.7 million. In 2017, there were 6,784 people aged 65 or older killed in a traffic collision in the United States; this accounted for 18.3 percent of all traffic fatalities, while the overall population aged 65 or older accounts for 14.9 percent of people in the United States and 19.4 percent of all licensed drivers in 2017. California has the largest number of licensed drivers aged 65 or older in the nation with 4,251,349, or 15.9 percent of all licensed drivers in the state. As drivers age, physical and mental changes including reduced visual acuity, increased fragility, restricted movement, and cognitive impairment can directly and indirectly result in age-related driving impairments. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56x5c96m Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5425f93x Collisions involving motorcycles are a major traffic safety concern in the United States. Motorcycle riders comprise a disproportionate share of all injured and&nbsp;killed vehicle occupants. In 2016, motorcycle riders were 28 times more likely than passenger car occupants to be fatally injured in a traffic collision, per vehicle miles traveled. The primary countermeasures used to address this problem have included motorcycle helmet laws and other helmet-oriented programs, rider training and licensing programs, vehicle enhancements, including anti-lock braking technology, rider conspicuity programs, campaigns to increase other road users’ awareness of motorcycles, and campaigns to reduce impaired riding. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5425f93x Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4tn651n9 <p>Bicycling is becoming more popular across the country, for commuting, exercise, and leisure. However, in the event&nbsp;of a traffic crash between a motor vehicle and a bicyclist, the bicyclist is the more vulnerable party and more likely&nbsp;to be injured or killed than a motor vehicle occupant. In 2019, there were 846 bicyclists killed in a traffic crash in the&nbsp;United States. In citing concern about the level of bicycle fatalities, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)&nbsp;identified key recommendations for improving safety, including collection of better crash data, increased training for law&nbsp;enforcement to understand laws designed to protect bicyclists, partnerships with bicycling and community organizations&nbsp;regarding safety messaging and public education campaigns about infrastructure improvements.</p><p>Historically, road safety efforts focused on changing human behaviors to prevent crashes. The Safe System approach&nbsp;reframes efforts to... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4tn651n9 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rh6s7hx In 2016, a total of 6,764 people age 65 and older were killed in collisions nationwide, which is a 7% increase from 6,238 in 2015. The older adult population of the United States—those 65 and older—is expected to nearly double between 2012 and 2050, from 43.1 million to 83.7 million. The older population accounted for 15.2 percent of residents in the U.S. and 18.8 percent of all licensed drivers in 2016. As drivers age, possible physical and mental changes including reduced visual acuity, increased fragility, restricted&nbsp;movement, and cognitive impairment may directly and indirectly result in age-related driving impairments.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rh6s7hx Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4h71f4vg <p>Everyone is a pedestrian, whether or not walking is one’s primary mode of travel. As a commute mode, walking is&nbsp;gaining in numbers. Based on the first six months of 2020, the GHSA projects that pedestrian fatalities in the nation will&nbsp;be on pace with 2019 despite large reductions in motor vehicle travel associated with COVID-19. Pedestrian fatalities&nbsp;as a proportion of total motor vehicle deaths increased from 13.0 percent in 2010 to 17.3 percent in 2019. Moreover,&nbsp;pedestrian fatalities increased 46.5 percent from 2010 to 2019 while other traffic deaths increased by 4.9 percent.&nbsp;Increases in pedestrian fatalities are largely occurring at night - from 2010 to 2019, the number of pedestrian fatalities&nbsp;that occurred in the dark increased 53.8 percent compared to a 16.2 percent increase in daytime pedestrian fatalities.&nbsp;Yet, GHSA estimates a pedestrian fatality rate of 1.9 per 100,000 population in 2020, a slight reduction from the 2019&nbsp;rate... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4h71f4vg Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43t08300 In 2016, there were 5,286 motorcycle riders killed on public roadways in the United States, a 5.1 percent increase from 2015. Motorcyclists are at greater risk of injury during collisions—in 2016, motorcyclists were 28 times more likely than passenger car occupants to be fatally injured in a traffic collision, per vehicle miles traveled. In 2016 only 65.3 percent of U.S. motorcyclists wore helmets. In states with universal helmet laws requiring all riders to wear helmets, the known helmet use rate among fatally injured motorcyclists ranged from 66 percent to 100 percent in 2016, while in states without such laws, the rate was lower, ranging widely from 0 percent to 69 percent. In California, which does have a universal helmet law, the known helmet use rate among fatally injured motorcyclists in 2016 was high (95.3 percent). Estimates maintain that helmets saved 308 lives in California in 2016, and 10 additional lives could have been saved if all motorcyclists wore helmets.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43t08300 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/42f3w01t Driving under the influence of drugs is a significant threat to public safety. Various substances can impair cognition, attention, coordination, and other brain functions critical to driving safety. Unlike alcohol, the mechanism for absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs from the body, as well as cognitive and behavioral effects differ greatly. The use of cannabis, prescription drugs, and other drugs are increasingly prominent on our roadways, where 22.2 percent of the nation’s 37,133 fatalities in 2017 were related to&nbsp;drug-involved driving.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/42f3w01t Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3x38r3k1 A speeding-related collision is defined as one in which a driver is racing, driving too fast for the conditions, or driving in excess of the posted speed limit. In the United States, speeding has been involved in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes for more than twenty years and is a leading contributing factor in traffic collisions. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects, reduces the amount of time a driver has to react to a dangerous situation, and extends safe stopping distances. Nationwide there were 10,111 people killed in speeding-related traffic collisions in 2016, a 4.0 percent increase from 9,723 in 2015, and a 2.1 percent decrease from 10,329 in 2012. Drivers involved in a fatal speeding-related crash were also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors compared with non-speeding drivers—36.8 percent had a BAC of .08 or higher compared with only 15.2 percent of non-speeding drivers; and only 50.5 percent were known to be wearing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3x38r3k1 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hv2h22r <p>While alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have fallen significantly in the last three decades, NHTSA reports&nbsp;that alcohol-impaired driving still comprises a large percentage of traffic injuries and fatalities. On average&nbsp;in 2019, one person died from an alcohol-impaired driving crash every 52 minutes. There was a decrease in&nbsp;the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities and rate per 100 million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the&nbsp;United States between 2018 and 2019.</p><p>Historically, road safety efforts focused on changing human behaviors to prevent crashes. The Safe System&nbsp;approach reframes efforts to save lives by expecting crashes to happen and focusing attention on reducing&nbsp;the severity of injuries when a crash occurs. By understanding the nuances of alcohol-impaired crashes,&nbsp;transportation professionals can better address every aspect of crash risks and implement multiple layers of&nbsp;protection to ensure that everyone traveling... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hv2h22r Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3gt2g579 Restraint devices such as seat belts are a key element of motor vehicle occupant protection systems. Each year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) that measures, among many variables, the use of seat belts by occupants age eight and older. The 2018 NOPUS reported an 89.6 percent front seat belt use rate for the nation as a whole, which was essentially level with the 89.7 percent rate in 2017. However, it reflects a significant decrease in the seat belt use rate in the western region from 94.5 percent in 2017 to 92.7 percent in 2018. Drivers had an 89.9 percent use rate and right-front passengers had an 88.7 percent use rate. States with a primary seat belt use law had a seat belt use rate of 90.6 percent compared to 86.4 percent in other states. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3gt2g579 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/38n062gr Bicycling is becoming more popular across the country, for commuting, exercise, and leisure. However, in the event of a traffic collision between a motor vehicle and a bicyclist, the bicyclist is the more vulnerable party and is more likely to be injured or killed than motor vehicle passengers. Bicycling fatalities increased 14.4 percent from 734 in 2012 to 840 in 2016 nationwide. Bicyclist fatalities represented 2.2 percent of the total number of traffic fatalities in 2016. Bicycle collisions are defined as crashes where one or more victims is a bicyclist, other cyclist, or bicycling passenger.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/38n062gr Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3016572j <p>Restraint devices such as seat belts are a key element of motor vehicle occupant protection systems. Each year, NHTSA conducts the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) that measures, among many variables, the daytime use of seat belts by occupants age eight and older. The 2020 NOPUS reported that seat belt use was 90.3 percent among front-seat passengers, a slight decrease from the 90.7 percent observed in 2018. This change, along with the changes in subsets such as time of day or day of the week, was not statistically significant.&nbsp;</p><p>The United States Department of Transportation uses the Safe System Approach to work towards zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The Safe System Approach recognizes human mistakes and vulnerabilities, and designs a system with many redundancies in place to protect everyone. The Federal Highway Administration names safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, and post-crash care as key elements of a Safe... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3016572j Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2nf0h14m Restraint devices such as seat belts are a key element of motor vehicle occupant protection systems. According to the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), in 2016 there was a 90.1 percent front seat belt use rate for the nation as a whole, a 1.8 percent increase over the 88.5 percent reported in 2015. Front seat belt use was slightly higher among women (92.5 percent) compared with men (88.2 percent). Front passengers were more likely to use seat belts (90.1 percent) than rear seat occupants (80.6 percent). One strong determinant of seat belt use is the presence of a seat belt use law—states with a seat belt law that applied to all vehicle occupants had a rear seat belt use rate of 83.9 percent compared with 75.7 percent in states requiring front seat belt use only. In the United States, there were 10,428 unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic collisions in 2016, a 4.6 percent increase from 9,968 in 2015. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2nf0h14m Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2j74s5z5 <p>The older adult population in the United States aged 65 and older is expected to almost double between&nbsp;2016 and 2060, from 49 million to 95 million. In 2019, there were 7,214 people aged 65 and older killed in&nbsp;traffic crashes in the United States; this accounted for 20.0 percent of all traffic fatalities. To provide context,&nbsp;the overall population aged 65 and older accounted for 16.5 percent of people in the United States and 20.2&nbsp;percent of all licensed drivers in 2019. California has the largest number of licensed drivers aged 65 and&nbsp;older in the nation with 4,516,813, or 16.6 percent of all licensed drivers in the state. However, as drivers age,&nbsp;physical and mental changes including reduced visual acuity, increased fragility, restricted movement, and&nbsp;cognitive impairment can directly and indirectly result in age-related driving impairments.</p><p>Historically, road safety efforts focused on changing human behaviors to prevent crashes. The... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2j74s5z5 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29k6m8v1 Everyone is a pedestrian, whether or not walking is one’s primary mode of travel, and as a commute mode, walking is gaining in numbers. Nearly 16 pedestrians died every day, averaging a pedestrian every 1.5 hours, in traffic collisions in 2016. Pedestrian fatalities increased 27.4 percent from 2007 to 2016 while other traffic deaths decreased 13.9 percent. In 2016, the number of pedestrian fatalities was at its highest one-year level since 1990. California was one of five states (along with Florida, Texas, New York, and Arizona) which reported more than 100 pedestrian deaths and collectively accounted for 43 percent of all pedestrian deaths in the U.S. in the first half of 2017. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29k6m8v1 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2547b43b <p>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines distracted driving as activities that divert attention away from safe driving. This may include talking on the phone, texting, eating or drinking, manipulating audio systems, etc. According to the National Safety Council, cell phones remain a top distraction because of the length of time they are used by drivers on a daily basis.&nbsp;</p><p>The United States Department of Transportation uses the Safe System Approach to work towards zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The Safe System Approach recognizes that people may make unsafe decisions, such as driving distracted, or may have momentary lapses of attention, and designs a system with redundancies in place to protect everyone. The Federal Highway Administration names safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, and post-crash care as key elements of a Safe System. These elements together create multiple layers of protection to improve... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2547b43b Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/24w1w16d <p>Crashes involving motorcycles are a major traffic safety concern in the United States. Since motorcyclists are&nbsp;susceptible to injury during crashes, they comprise a disproportionate share of all injured and killed vehicle occupants.&nbsp;In 2018, motorcyclists were 27 times more likely than passenger car occupants to be fatally injured in a traffic crash, per&nbsp;vehicle miles traveled. The primary countermeasures used to address this problem have included motorcycle helmet&nbsp;laws and other helmet-oriented programs, rider training and licensing programs, vehicle enhancements, including&nbsp;anti-lock braking technology, rider conspicuity programs, campaigns to increase other road users’ awareness of&nbsp;motorcycles, and campaigns to reduce impaired riding.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/24w1w16d Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/23013220 <p>Bicycling is becoming more popular across the country, for commuting, exercise, and leisure. However, in the event of a traffic crash between a motor vehicle and a bicyclist, the bicyclist is the more vulnerable party and more likely to be injured or killed. In 2020, there were 938 bicyclists killed in a traffic crash in the United States. American Indian/Alaska Native persons had the highest per capita rate of bicyclists deaths, followed by Black and Hispanic persons; the differential was smaller than for other categories of traffic deaths by race.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/23013220 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zt142js <p>Crashes involving motorcycles are a major traffic safety concern in the United States. Since motorcyclists are susceptibleto injury during crashes, they comprise a disproportionate share of all injured and killed vehicle occupants. In 2020,motorcyclists comprised 14.4 percent of all traffic deaths in the US.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zt142js Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Kartherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1kx712nj While alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have fallen significantly in the past three decades, alcohol-impaired driving still comprises a large percentage of traffic injuries and fatalities. On average in 2016, one person died from an alcohol-impaired driving collision every 50 minutes. Additionally, there was an increase in the number of alcohol-driving fatalities in the United States between 2015 and 2016. In the United States, there were 10,497 people killed in alcohol-impaired collisions in 2016, a 1.7 percent increase from 10,320 in 2015, and a 1.6 percent increase from 10,336 in 2012.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1kx712nj Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1fr7w3bd <p>Bicycling is becoming more popular across the country for commuting, exercise, and leisure. However, in the&nbsp;event of a traffic crash between a motor vehicle and a bicyclist, the bicyclist is the more vulnerable party and&nbsp;more likely to be injured or killed than a motor vehicle occupant. In 2018, there were 857 bicyclists killed in a&nbsp;traffic crash in the United States. In citing concern about the level of bicycle fatalities, the Governors Highway&nbsp;Safety Association (GHSA) identified key recommendations for improving safety, including collection of&nbsp;better crash data, increased training for law enforcement to understand laws designed to protect bicyclists,&nbsp;partnerships with bicycling and community organizations regarding safety messaging and public education&nbsp;campaigns about infrastructure improvements.</p><p>Analyses presented in the bicycling program area include fatal and serious injuries to bicyclists, other cyclists,&nbsp;and passengers on... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1fr7w3bd Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1d62d2kn Bicycling is becoming more popular across the country, for commuting, exercise, and leisure. In 2017, there were 783 bicyclists killed in a traffic collision in the US. In citing concern about the level of bicycle fatalities, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) identified key recommendations for improving safety, including collection of better crash data, increased training for law enforcement to understand laws designed to protect bicyclists, partnerships with bicycling and community organizations regarding safety messaging and public education campaigns about infrastructure improvements. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1d62d2kn Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/17c382hq There are typically many contributing factors in motor vehicle crashes. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role post-crash to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Recent studies show that an effective emergency trauma care system can improve survival from serious injuries by as much as 25 percent and county-level coordinated systems of trauma care can reduce crash fatalities rates as much as 50 percent. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/17c382hq Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1593p0wq As a commute mode, walking is gaining in numbers. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reports that pedestrian fatalities in the nation have increased disproportionately to other traffic deaths. Pedestrian fatalities as a proportion of total traffic deaths increased from 12 percent in 2008 to 16 percent in 2017. Pedestrian fatalities increased by 35 percent from 2008 to 2017 while other traffic deaths decreased by 6 percent. The GSHA also reported the largest proportion of pedestrian deaths around divided highways, which generally have speed limits of 45 or more and lack controlled intersections and safe crossing areas.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1593p0wq Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1166w4pz <p>There are typically many contributing factors in motor vehicle crashes. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role post-crash to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Recent studies show that an effective emergency trauma care system can improve survival from serious injuries by as much as 25 percent and county-level coordinated systems of trauma care can reduce crash fatalities rates as much as 50 percent.&nbsp;</p><p>The Haddon Matrix applies basic principles of public health to motor vehicle-related injuries. The matrix looks at the factors in the pre-crash, crash, and post-crash phases to see how the driver, vehicle, and environment affect the outcome. Specifically, it identifies the factors that impact the prevention, severity, and survivability of crashes. For EMS, some factors are response time, proximity to an appropriate trauma center, and access to first responders with the appropriate equipment and training.&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1166w4pz Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w11v296 The use of cannabis and prescription and other drugs are increasingly prominent on our roadways, where 16.2 percent of the nation’s 37,461 fatalities in 2016 were related to drug-involved driving. In the United States, several states have legalized the use of medical and/or recreational cannabis, increasing concerns about traffic safety. Aside from alcohol, cannabis is the most frequently detected drug in drivers who are involved in collisions. The impact of drugs on the brain and behavior varies considerably depending on the type of drug and how it is metabolized. There are also large variations across jurisdictions in the frequency of testing suspected impaired drivers for drugs, the consistency of laboratory drug testing practices, and the capacity of law enforcement. In the United States, 6,058 people were killed in drug-involved collisions in 2016, a 9.5 percent decrease from 6,696 in 2015, and a 7.6 percent increase from 5,630 in 2012. In 2016, among fatally injured drivers... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w11v296 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cx5j2sh <p>While alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have fallen significantly in the last three decades, NHTSA reports that alcohol-impaired driving still comprises a large percentage of traffic injuries and fatalities. On average in 2020, someone died from an alcohol-impaired driving crash every 45 minutes. There was an increase in the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities and rate per 100 million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the United States between 2019 and 2020.&nbsp;</p><p>The United States Department of Transportation uses the Safe System Approach to work towards zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries . With alcohol-impaired driving accounting for 30.0 percent of all traffic fatalities, designing streets to protect people even when they make unsafe decisions is critical. The Safe System Approach recognizes human mistakes and vulnerabilities, and designs a system with many redundancies in place to protect everyone. The Federal Highway Administration names safe... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cx5j2sh Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cf5555w While alcohol-involved driving fatalities have fallen significantly in the last three decades, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that alcohol-involved driving still comprises a large percentage of traffic injuries and fatalities. On average in 2017, one person died from an alcohol-involved driving collision every 48 minutes. There was a decrease in the numbers of alcohol-involved driving fatalities in the United States between 2016 and 2017. The figures refer to drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians fatally killed or seriously injured in an alcohol-involved collision in California in 2017. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cf5555w Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08v2s2rt <p>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines a distraction-affected crash as one where&nbsp;a driver was determined to be distracted at the time of the crash.&nbsp;</p><p>According to the National Safety Council, mobile devices are among the top distractions for drivers nationwide.&nbsp;Studies have found that talking on cell phones, both handheld and hands-free, increases crash risk by about&nbsp;four times relative to baseline driving. Built-in communication technologies, along with hands-free cell phone&nbsp;technologies, draw attention away from driving. The ability to multitask is a myth, as attention toggles from&nbsp;either driving to vehicle technologies. The longer time one pays attention to the technology, the less time&nbsp;attention is paid to the roadway environment.</p><p>Historically, road safety efforts focused on changing human behaviors to prevent crashes. The Safe System&nbsp;approach reframes efforts to save lives by expecting crashes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08v2s2rt Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07b7g662 <p>There are typically many contributing factors in motor vehicle crashes. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role post-crash to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Recent studies show that an effective emergency trauma care system can improve survival from serious injuries by as much as 25 percent and county-level coordinated systems of trauma care can reduce crash fatalities rates as much as 50 percent.</p><p>The Haddon Matrix (see Figure 1) applies basic principles of public health to motor vehicle-related injuries. The matrix looks at the factors in the pre-crash, crash, and post-crash phases to see how the driver, vehicle, and environment affect the outcome. Specifically, it identifies the factors that impact the prevention, severity, and survivability of crashes. For EMS, some factors are response time, proximity to an appropriate trauma center, and access to first responders with the appropriate equipment and training.</p><p>The national 911 system was... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07b7g662 Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Katherine L. Tsai, Bor-Wen Fortin, Garrett Cooper, Jill F.