This year marks a major milestone for Streets, Art, SAFE: ten years of empowering high school students to learn about traffic safety—and then demonstrate that learning through creativity.

At the heart of the program is a simple but powerful educational model. Students first learn core road safety concepts, risks, and behaviors.

They then reinforce that knowledge by creating public service announcements (PSAs) through film or poster design, translating what they’ve learned into clear, compelling messages aimed at their peers. In doing so, students don’t just absorb information; they actively apply it, reflect on it, and advocate for safer choices.

Last week, SAFE and Festival Trail co-hosted a Finish the LA River Bike Path by 2028" webinar. This event brought together advocates and community members who all share a common goal: pushing Metro to finally close the eight-mile gap in the LA River Bike Path and deliver 32 miles worth of safe, continuous active transportation across Los Angeles County.

The LA River Bike Path is one of the region’s most important yet incomplete pieces of infrastructure. While several segments already serve thousands of cyclists and walkers each year, the gap through downtown LA continues to force people onto dangerous streets,

The Current State of the LA River Bike Path 

The LA River Bike Path has long been a vision for a healthier, more connected Los Angeles. 

In a culture long dominated by car use, prioritizing active transportation represents a meaningful shift toward safer streets, cleaner air, and more equitable access to mobility. This infrastructure can transform the river corridor into a shared public space that connects communities, supports daily travel and recreation, and provides a mode shift for how Angelenos move through their city.

2025 was a banner year for Streets Are For Everyone’s state policy and legislation team.

We worked on more bills, sponsored more, and achieved a higher win rate than in any previous year.

There were, of course, a few important bills that we frustratingly lost the fight on, but it doesn’t mean we’ve given up on them. 

SAFE is here to serve the people of Los Angeles and California. Our success is measured not by numbers alone, but by the lives we touch and the communities we help strengthen.

Thanks to hundreds of volunteers and advocates who have shown up, spoken out, and taken action, we’ve been able to do more, take on more projects, and save more lives.

If you look at this map of SAFE Grassroots Advocacy Projects, you’ll see we have 28 different advocacy projects happening across Southern California. There is too much going on for a single blog, but we are going to roll out info on ALL of our projects over the next several newsletters and also work to improve our website so you can stay updated on progress as it happens.  

Speeding remains one of the leading causes of traffic deaths in California. The Assembly Bill (AB) 645 Speed Safety Systems pilot program was designed to address it head-on. The bill authorizes a five-year pilot program to implement a predetermined number of automated speed cameras across six pilot cities (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Glendale, Los Angeles, and Long Beach), along with Malibu, which was added to the bill a year later. With this program, the state created an opportunity to test a proven, life-saving tool already in use by cities across the nation, such as Seattle, Philadelphia, and New York.

Yet, as of today, implementation progress varies dramatically from city to city, and the delays continue to put the lives of residents and anyone who walks, bikes, or drives in the city at risk.

On Saturday, October 11, SAFE joined Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez and his CD13 team at Barnsdall Art Park to unveil our new electric bike lane sweeper and announce its name, chosen from more than 140 submissions in a community naming competition.

The new sweeper, named Sweeping Beauty, is the first of its kind in the City of Los Angeles, and certainly not the last. 

Two people died per day, on average, as a result of traffic violence on Los Angeles County roads in 2024. Connected to those people were countless family members, loved ones, co-workers, and more who are forever impacted by these unnecessary and preventable losses.

For the past seven years, SAFE has commemorated World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims by telling the stories of those whose lives were cut short and by advocating for meaningful change across the county.

This year, we continued that commitment by honoring the victims, uplifting their families, and pushing for safer streets in every community.

We gathered with partner nonprofit organizations and local and state agencies to honor the 711 people who lost their lives on Los Angeles County roadways in 2024.

I wanted to announce only good news about this campaign, but the truth is, I have good news and bad news. First, the good news! Thanks to your support, over 350 emails were sent to the City of Malibu, turning a likely defeat at the Planning Commission into a victory.

On Monday, November 4, the Malibu Planning Commission changed its tune and voted 4 to 1 in favor of the Caltrans PCH Safety Project — a $55 million once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild and make PCH safer for everyone.

Caltrans PCH Safety Project Recap

This plan would repave and reconstruct the western end of PCH from Cross Creek Road to the Ventura County line while adding long-overdue safety improvements like:

On Sunday, 14 September, we cheered, we laughed, we cried, we hugged, and we remembered 10 years of advocacy, 10 years of legislation, 10 years of supporting victims of traffic violence, 10 years of road safety education through the arts – 10 years of Streets Are For Everyone. It was a special afternoon, shared with so many friends and family, fellow advocates and supporters.

This is the first time SAFE has held an anniversary event. Technically, SAFE’s official birth, the day the IRS recognized us as a non-profit, is on 3 March 2015. And technically, I should have written and sent this blog out two months ago, but, in our defense (well, it’s more my defense), SAFE has been SOOOO busy with legislation, advocacy, education, and support that it has been hard to find a moment to breathe, let alone plan a celebration or to simply write this blog.

On Sunday, October 26, 861 cyclists, runners, walkers, families, and survivors gathered at West Creek Park for a Halloween-themed Finish The Ride & Run – Santa Clarita, turning a day of fitness into a powerful statement for safer streets across California. The park buzzed with costumes and determination—skeletons, traffic cones, aliens, and even a stunning Catrina brought bursts of color and spirit to the course.

From sunrise to the final medal, the energy was electric and inspiring. Participants of all ages—from 1 to 90—took on the challenge, from the 1K Kids & Puppy Run to the 62-mile Metric Century Ride, proving once again that this iconic LA County event is built on hope, resilience, and community.

In February 2013, Damian Kevitt’s life changed forever. While cycling in Griffith Park, he was struck by a hit-and-run driver who dragged him nearly a quarter of a mile onto and down the 5 freeway. Against all odds, Damian survived, but he lost his right leg and nearly his life.

As he recovered, Damian made a promise: not only would he finish the ride he started that day, but he would dedicate his life to making streets safer for everyone. That promise became Finish The Ride—a movement that turned tragedy into purpose, pain into momentum, and individual courage into community action.

It’s here! Week Without Driving begins today, and it brings with it an exciting opportunity for all who call Los Angeles home.

For those who don’t drive, this week may not feel like a challenge at all; it’s just everyday life. But for drivers, this week is an invitation: what would it feel like if you put the keys away for seven days?

Maybe you’ve never thought about it. For many, driving feels automatic, even necessary. Yet for others, a car isn’t affordable. Some avoid driving because of stress, while others carry trauma from collisions that make getting behind the wheel impossible. Even more people avoid driving because using other means of travel—walking, biking, or taking transit—is better for mental and physical health and lowers our impact on the planet.

Week Without Driving is a chance to pause and reflect on how our city moves when the car isn’t at the center.

This article summarizes our 25-page Full Report—read the full report here.

Every day, Californians approach intersections trusting that a red light means safety. Yet, for far too many, that trust is shattered in an instant. Red light running has become a silent epidemic across our state—claiming lives, shattering families, and leaving behind an enormous financial burden that few ever stop to consider.

Traffic collisions are, by and large, preventable. Multiple studies have established this, and it is also recognized by the NHTSA. The fact that we let so many people die year after year due to traffic violence, when we know how people get into traffic collisions, and where they are most likely to get into a traffic collision. We have proven ways to prevent it, which is a testimony to how broken our system is. Nowhere is this more evident than in intersections across California, where hundreds of lives are lost and even more are seriously injured. While a single life lost is tragic, and even more so when it’s entirely preventable, what’s hidden is the cost of these preventable deaths to our communities and the state of California. 

On Friday, August 15, 2025, the Pearblossom Highway 138 Safe Roads Initiative team took a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to improve safety along Pearblossom Highway (PB HWY 138).

Members of our community, along with Assembly member Juan Carrillo and several key decision makers from agencies including CalTrans and LA County Department of Public Works (DPW), came together for a comprehensive, on-the-ground field tour.

On April 18, 2024, tragedy struck Historic South Central when 12-year-old Derrick Serrano was hit and killed by a speeding driver at the intersection of Vernon Avenue and Wadsworth Avenue. His loss devastated his family and community and galvanized neighbors into action.

Over the past year, SAFE has partnered with ACCE LA, a grassroots community organization, to demand change at this dangerous intersection and bring awareness to the need for safer intersections across South LA. Together, we organized families and insisted that the city act before another life was lost.

An example of this outspoken advocacy was on April 18th, 2025….

The wait is over—Streets, Art, SAFE is officially back for the 2025–2026 school year! This free, high school educational program blends art, storytelling, and real-world road safety messages.

Alongside the flagship film and poster competitions, this year brings fresh challenges, expanded learning opportunities, special award categories, new sponsors, and of course, some amazing prizes.

Why the arts? Because when students create film, posters, or Public Service Announcements (PSAs), they’re not just learning about road safety—they’re practicing communication, problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking. Visual storytelling challenges students to analyze information, distill a message, and express it in a way that connects with others. For teachers, it’s a chance to see students apply their creativity to a real-world issue, building skills in research, writing, media literacy, and the visual arts all at once.

As a pastor who has served South Los Angeles for over 15 years, I’ve seen too much preventable tragedy on our streets. I’ve comforted families who lost loved ones to reckless drivers, and I’ve advocated to city officials to get basic safety measures like pedestrian lights and bus stops for our community.

When my friend Charles Ray was killed in a hit-and-run right here in South LA, I knew I had no choice but to continue demanding better for our community. That’s what brought me to support the push for speed safety systems in Los Angeles, because every day we delay, another family gets an empty chair at their dinner table.

In 2023, after four years of work, SAFE successfully helped pass AB 645, the California Speed Safety Systems Pilot Program. This groundbreaking policy allows six cities across California—including three in Southern California (Glendale, Long Beach, and the City of Los Angeles)—to pilot speed safety systems designed to reduce speeding and improve conditions on high-injury corridors and in vulnerable areas such as school zones.

What makes AB 645 so groundbreaking is the careful balance built into the law: ensuring the systems effectively slow drivers without being overly burdensome with fines, requiring equitable placement, protecting privacy and transparency, and limiting use to locations where safety improvements are genuinely needed.