Skip to main content

California traffic deaths drop for fifth consecutive year

California saw a decline in overall traffic deaths for the fifth year in a row. According to federal government figures, total vehicle fatalities dropped 11.9 per cent, from 3,081 in 2009 to 2,715 in 2010. Since the latest high of 4,333 in 2005, the 2010 figures show a total decline of 37.3 per cent.
April 20, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSCalifornia saw a decline in overall traffic deaths for the fifth year in a row. According to federal government figures, total vehicle fatalities dropped 11.9 per cent, from 3,081 in 2009 to 2,715 in 2010. Since the latest high of 4,333 in 2005, the 2010 figures show a total decline of 37.3 per cent.

The 2010 figures are the lowest for the state since 1944, when one tenth the number of vehicles travelled one sixteenth the number of miles. While the economy has some effect, officials also point to high visibility enforcement, sobriety checkpoints, multiple public awareness campaigns, safer car construction, better road design, and faster emergency medical services as factors.

"Well-managed traffic safety campaigns by law enforcement throughout the state targeting dangerous driver behaviour is a factor in the continued reduction of traffic-related deaths and injuries," said 1855 California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow.

Under a shared vision of Toward Zero Deaths – Every 1 Counts, state and local agencies and organisations have been developing and implementing the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan since 2006. OTS, CHP, 923 California Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 831 Federal Highway Administration, county and local governments, as well as individuals and community organisations like 4949 Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been actively pursuing work on over 150 specific actions contained within Plan.

So that 2012 will continue the gains, the Office of Traffic Safety has now announced $76 million from federal funding to support 213 traffic safety grants to state and local agencies for the grant year that begins on 1 October, 2011. The new grants are a combination of time-tested, successful programmes and emerging efforts, some tackling new problems.

Related Content

  • Study shows Irish speed cameras provide five-fold benefit
    April 30, 2015
    Ireland’s mobile speed cameras have been shown to save lives and money but face a legal challenge. David Crawford reports. In 2011 the Republic of Ireland introduced mobile safety cameras on dangerous roads which have, according to the country’s first cost-benefit analysis of the technology, saved an average of 23 lives a year.
  • Growing use of video monitoring in traffic management
    February 2, 2012
    The county-wide expansion of CCTV coverage in Florida Department of Transportation's District Four is detailed by Citilog's Eric Toffin
  • The great pay divide
    April 2, 2014
    Public acceptance is crucial for the acceptance of managed and express lanes as Jon Masters discovers. Lists of proposed highway expansion projects introducing variably priced toll lanes continue to lengthen. Managed lanes, or express lanes to some, are gaining support as a politically favourable way of adding capacity and reducing acute congestion on principal highways. In Florida, for example, the managed lanes on the 95 Express are claimed to have significantly increased average peak-time speeds on tolle
  • Report analyses multiple ITS projects to highlight cost and benefits
    March 16, 2015
    Every year in America cost benefit analysis is carried out on dozens of ITS installations and pilot studies and the findings, along with the lessons learned, are entered into the Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) web-based ITS Knowledge Resources database. This database holds more than 1,600 reports and periodically the USDOT reviews the material on file to draw conclusions from this wider body of evidence. It has just published one such review ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Re