Next month, communities across the world will honor those who’ve lost their lives or been affected by traffic violence on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Sadly, the list of road traffic victims in LA will be longer this year than last — already the deadliest traffic year on record.

Read on to dig into the numbers and find out what we can do to force Mayor Bass to prioritize ending traffic violence.

The 9th annual Streets, Art, SAFE film competition and the inaugural poster competition is in full swing! These competitions empower student artists to learn about the crisis of traffic violence - the leading cause of death for US teens - and create original art to inspire California to do better. We’ve got some exciting new additions to this year’s initiative, so read on to learn more! 

When we last checked on the state of safe streets up in Sacramento, nine different bills that SAFE had been working on (supporting or opposing) this legislative session were awaiting Governor Newsom’s signature.

We now have answers on all nine, and we’re happy to announce some wins and disappointed to report some losses.

Earlier this month, safe streets advocates received a rare piece of good news: the National Highway Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for the first time, will require automakers to test their cars’ safety for pedestrians, not simply drivers and passengers. 

The proposal is not radical: it would require automakers to conduct “hood-to-head” safety tests to ensure cars are being designed to limit pedestrian deaths in the US, which have risen by more than 50% in the past nine years to levels not seen since 1981.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a new rule to reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries — the first time the U.S.’s road safety agency has directly addressed America’s epidemic of pedestrian death. 

The proposed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard would ensure passenger vehicles are designed to “mitigate the risk of serious to fatal injury in child and adult pedestrian crashes” by “establishing test procedures simulating a head-to-hood impact and performance requirements to minimize the risk of head injury.”

Every year on September 22nd, cities across the world celebrate World Car-Free Day, an opportunity for regular motorists to keep their cars in the garage and to get outside on foot or by bike to connect with their neighbors and their communities. 

The event highlights the myriad benefits of leaving the car at home and underscores how much safer and welcoming our streets could be if we reduce our dependence on climate-destroying, air-bespoiling, pedestrian-killing automobiles — especially here in Southern California, with its debilitating addiction to “car culture.”

The 2023-2024 California legislative session has drawn to a close, and we’re excited to provide some updates on the 15 essential transportation bills on which SAFE has focused our efforts — including Senate Bill 961, the bill requiring speed governors in CA cars by 2030, which passed the State Assembly and is on Governor Newsom’s desk. 

In addition to SB 961, SAFE has actively supported, opposed, and co-sponsored several key bills. At the beginning of the 2023-24 legislative session, SAFE kept its eyes on nearly 100 pieces of legislation. As the year rolled on, we narrowed our focus to 15 critical bills that could shape the future of California transportation — for good or for ill.

First off, some thanks. Thank you to everyone who joined SAFE last Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Building in Downtown Los Angeles to share our pressing and vital message for Governor Newsom: it’s time to take a stand against the auto industry and make our streets safer — for everyone — by signing Senate Bills 961 and 1509. 

Thanks also to CBS 2, KTLA 5, KABC 7, KCAL 9, Spectrum 1, and La Opinión, who covered the press conference. I would have loved it if more media had joined us, but this was also the first day of the Line Fire, which understandably drew a lot of attention. I’m grateful to you all. 

The speeches were emotional and hard-hitting.

Glendale City Council has approved major traffic lane configuration and bicycle infrastructure improvements to La Crescenta Ave. as part of the La Crescenta Ave. Rehabilitation Project, which passed by a vote of 3-2 on Aug. 27.

Glendale Mayor Elen Asatryan was joined by council members Ardy Kassakhian and Dan Brotman in voting “yes” on the project located on La Crescenta Avenue between North Verdugo Road and Montrose Avenue. The project “aims to enhance the safety, efficiency, and accessibility of multiple transportation infrastructure options in the La Crescenta project corridor,” according to the city analysis.

We did it! The 3 priority bills that SAFE co-sponsored this year are headed to the Governor’s desk! Now is the time to stand up and show our support for these life-saving bills, so push them through the finish line and signed into law. 

Here is a breakdown of the 3 bills and how you can help ensure they are signed by the Governor.

Huge News! The lifesaving vehicle speed technology bill, SB 961, was officially passed by the California legislature on August 30!

This groundbreaking bill will require speed warning technology in all vehicles (excluding emergency vehicles and motorcycles) made or sold in California starting in 2030. It’s a crucial step to preventing crashes and saving lives.

Now, it’s in Governor Newsom’s hands, and he has until September 30 to sign it. Let’s apply pressure to ensure this vital bill becomes law!

Please take a moment to submit a message on the Governor’s contact page asking him to sign SB 961.

On May 18, SAFE was proud to join community leaders, law enforcement officials and concerned citizens for “Ending Illegal Street Racing and Street Takeovers: A Community Symposium” at Compton Community College. 

The symposium was a collaborative effort to foster dialogue and actionable plans to combat the surge in illegal street racing and street takeovers, calls for which increased by 60% in 2020 and remain high, according to LAPD data, and which disproportionately affect a handful of LA neighborhoods, including Carson, Century, Compton and South Los Angeles.  

Illegal street racing not only endangers participants but also poses significant risks to bystanders, disrupts community peace and strains police resources. That’s why we at SAFE have been working for years to address this issue, collaborating with victims, advocates and electeds to change laws, improve infrastructure, educate, and enforce the law.

We at SAFE are proud of the work that we’ve done to push for sensible, common-sense legislation that will save lives on California’s roads.

Today, we’re writing because we need your help to save just such a piece of legislation: Senate Bill 961, which would require all cars and trucks manufactured or sold in California, starting in 2030, to alert drivers when they’re 10 mph past the speed limit. 

This piece of legislation, authored by State Senator Scott Wiener, would help tackle California’s #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes: speeding. As Americans continue to opt for massive SUVs over sedans, and pedestrian deaths hit marks unseen in 40 years, SB 961 represents an affordable, feasible option to make our streets safer. 

SB 961 was slated for a vote by the full California Assembly last week, but the vote has been pushed back to this Wednesday. This provides us safe-streets advocates with an opportunity to contact the 15 legislators who are still undecided. Without the support of these 15 legislators, SB 961 is unlikely to pass.

SAFE is excited to announce that we’ve partnered with GSTV to bring excerpts of award-winning student films from the Streets, Art, SAFE Film Competition to gas-pump screens across the United States. 

Phase 1 of construction on the Hollywood Boulevard Safety and Mobility Project is complete, and the 2.1 mile stretch (from Gower to St to Lyman Pl) of the iconic street has lost one lane of car traffic in each direction to provide for a slower, safer Hollywood experience.

Come celebrate the completion of Phase 1 at CicLAvia: Meet the Hollywoods on Sunday, August 18th — and don’t forget to say hi to SAFE! CicLAvia will be both a celebration of the Hollywood Blvd improvements and a chance to learn more about the forthcoming Phase 2, which will continue on Sunset Blvd to Fountain Ave, connecting the Sunset Ave and Hollywood Blvd bike lanes and resolving the gnarly intersection at Hollywood Blvd/Hillhurst Ave/Sunset Ave/Sunset Dr.

Want a say in the future of the PCH in Malibu? Register here to join the Caltrans virtual public workshop on July 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Malibu has long been one of the most dangerous driving cities in the United States. Since 2010, 61 people have been killed by traffic violence along Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway — year after year, it seems another ghost tire is added to a memorial that already honors too many.

Concerned Malibu citizens and organizations like Streets Are For Everyone have been begging Caltrans, who operates the Pacific Coast Highway, to help slow down the vehicles that are killing people on the PCH every year.

After California State Senator Scott Wiener addressed the Assembly Transportation Committee on June 17 to introduce his Senate Bill 961, which would require passive speed governors on new cars manufactured in the state by 2028, it was his opposition’s turn to speak.

In a 52-second video that was viewed more than 500,000 times on X (f.k.a. Twitter), representatives from the California Chamber of Commerce, Mercedes Benz, and other auto industry groups take their turns at the podium, quickly voicing their opposition before the next industry mouthpiece steps up to do the same.

What were all these auto industry organizations opposing? Nothing so sinister as your car gently reminding you that you’re speeding — with significant exceptions, and not until model year 2030, and, of course, you’re free to ignore the alert.

Great news for those of us who love hiking and biking the car-free roads and trails of Griffith Park: the worst of the potholes that have plagued Mt. Hollywood Drive have been filled!

The City of LA's unveiled its Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program (STAP) on June 27 with a ribbon-cutting in Reseda, at the site of a brand-new bus shelter on the corner of Victory and Reseda. Learn how the City plans to use STAP to make bus travel safer, more comfortable and more accessible for people across Los Angeles.

On Monday, June 17, California State Senator Scott Wiener brought his bill, SB 961, to the Assembly Transportation Committee, and the Senator didn’t mince words about the danger flying across California streets every minute of every day.