UC Berkeley SafeTREC and California Walks (the project team) conducted Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program (CPBSP) workshops in seven communities in 2026. All seven of the workshops were conducted in-person. The following research brief discusses findings from the program evaluation, and evaluation developed using the Kirkpatrick Model framework. Levels 1 and 2 of the model (reaction and learning) were measured at the end of each CPBSP workshop with an in-person survey, whereas levels 3 and 4 were measured with an electronic survey hosted on Qualtrics. The electronic survey was distributed to participants of program site planning for the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training Program (CPBST) within the past five years (2021-2025) and those that participated in program site planning for the Comunidades Activas y Seguras Program (CAyS) within the past two years (2024-2025). The narratives included in this brief highlight key findings from the two surveys and offer takeaways for future programming.
This research brief explores the landscape of electric bikes (e-bikes) and ridership in California, including the evolution of e-bike policies, rider use and demographics, and features of emerging e-bike safety programs. It discusses crash data reporting and explores limitations for capturing e-bike crash data, providing insights into potential solutions with a case study on Marin County. Findings indicate that decision-making when riding ebikes may be influenced by environmental factors, while safety courses offer avenues to engage both students and guardians in the learning experience to increase confidence and skill-building. This brief also explores ways in which hospitals and trauma centers may help alleviate data limitations with their collection of injury reporting relating to e-bikes, and how advances made in Marin County for crash data collection may provide a standard for the rest of the state.
As autonomous vehicles (AVs) become more prevalent on roads in the United States, relevant information on their safety, especially when interacting with vulnerable road users (VRUs) like bicyclists and pedestrians is crucial. To understand the current state of AVs, this brief reviews VRU perceptions and interactions with AVs, relevant crash data on AVs, the use of AVs as a ride-hailing service, and AV technology and design. This brief examines technology, infrastructure, and data trends that can help inform communities on how to safely walk and bike amongst AVs. Knowledge of these topics may also help inform the public about AV safety, help AV manufacturers address technical concerns, and aid policymakers in developing legislation.
This research brief examines pedestrian/bicycle crash and infrastructure differences in rural versus urban communities. Using Sonoma County rural communities as a case study, the brief identifies key differences in pedestrian/bicycle crash characteristics, severities, and locations. It examines differences in the nature of active travel, demographics, and current pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure and future investments. Interviews with three planners working in the county are included to identify key community and infrastructure challenges and areas for opportunities in rural versus urban communities. The brief concludes with recommendations for more collaboration between the state and local agencies for conducting safety improvements in rural communities and urges planners to consider crash characteristics and differences in the nature of active travel when implementing said improvements.
The UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) has released the California Traffic Safety Survey 2025. The study was led by Ewald & Wasserman Research Consultants (E&W) and conducted on behalf of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and SafeTREC.
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 2,319 respondents, with the majority of those surveyed (59.1% unweighted) coming from Southern California and falling within the 18-44 age range.
Over 25 questions were created to address a variety of topics concerning road safety, including distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, statewide safety campaigns, and driverless vehicles. First introduced to the California Traffic Safety Survey in 2022, respondents were also asked to rate five elements of increasing road safety that comprise the Safe System Approach.
In the summer of 2025, the UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) conducted a Needs Assessment to explore the need for, and interest in, a program to support and nurture California communities’ road safety work to align with an effective Safe System Approach. As part of the Assessment, interviews and surveys were conducted, finding strong interest in such assistance, particularly for peer learning, leadership support opportunities, and more concrete examples of successes to inform individual communities’ work.
While recent California legislative reforms grant jurisdictions greater flexibility to lower speed limits, evidence suggests that reductions in posted speed limits alone are insufficient to meaningfully reduce crash severity. This research brief examines how speed limit reductions, when paired with infrastructure design, enforcement strategies, and contextual land-use planning, can more effectively lower FSI outcomes. Aligned with the Safe System Approach, the countermeasure layers of roadway geometry, lighting, bicycle-specific infrastructure, and enforcement shape driver behavior and protect vulnerable road users. This approach provides a pathway for communities to advance vulnerable road user safety by reducing speeds through a holistic approach.
The Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training Program (CPBST) is a collaborative effort between the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) at the University of California Berkeley and California Walks (Cal Walks) with funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety. Its main objective is to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety by educating residents and safety advocates, empowering community partners to advocate for safety improvements in their neighborhoods, and fostering collaboration between community participants, local officials, and agency staff.
Since 2009, the program has conducted 142 community workshops across California. The program works with a planning committee of local stakeholders to plan a workshop tailored to the community’s specific needs and priorities. This planning committee recruits participants for the workshop, and together, the planning committee and workshop participants create a customized action plan that includes a comprehensive assessment of pedestrian and bicycle conditions in areas of interest within the community and identifies short-, mid-, and long-term projects to address safety concerns discussed during the workshop. SafeTREC conducted our annual CPBST survey in the spring of 2025 with planning committee members from communities that hosted CPBST workshops over the past five years (2020-2024). The objective of the survey was to evaluate the progress of the action plans formulated during each workshop and to determine if the communities needed additional support from the project team.
Bicycling provides youth with mobility, independence, and opportunities for physical activity, but head injuries remain a leading risk of biking-related crashes. Helmets are among the most effective tools for preventing serious injury, yet rates of consistent use among children and adolescents remain low and unevenly distributed across demographic groups. This paper reviews evidence on the social, cultural, and structural factors shaping helmet use and examines the role of school-based programs in promoting safer biking practices. Findings indicate that free and subsidized helmet distribution reduces access barriers but requires reinforcement through education and community engagement to sustain long-term use. Safe Routes to School initiatives improve safety and normalize active transportation, while educational campaigns influence knowledge, attitudes, and peer norms, particularly when combined with parental involvement. Equity concerns, including affordability, enforcement, and cultural compatibility, remain central to program design. Overall, the evidence highlights the need for integrated, equity-focused, and sustainable approaches to increase helmet adoption and reduce preventable injuries among young bicyclists.
This research brief offers an early analysis of California’s rollout of speed safety camera pilot programs under Assembly Bill 645 (AB 645). No California city has ever had an automated speed camera program before Spring 2025. Documenting the program set-up and early administration experience of the pilot cities will be informative in advancing road safety efforts if speed cameras become more widespread across the state. After examining research on speed camera effectiveness and best practices based on a review of national programs, the brief focuses on Oakland and San Francisco. Drawing on interviews with city staff, the brief evaluates how well California’s approach aligns with best practices in effectiveness and equity. It finds that AB 645 incorporated many instructive learnings from elsewhere, including income-based fine reductions and data-driven site selection. It also identifies areas for further improvement such as public transparency, alternatives to monetary penalties, approach to infrastructure investments, and enforcement challenges. The brief concludes that, depending on program improvements in these areas, speed safety cameras could become a valuable tool in California’s efforts to reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities without exacerbating social inequities.
