WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

The Office of Traffic Safety’s mission is to obtain and effectively administer traffic safety grant funds to reduce deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from traffic collisions.

WHAT IS OUR VISION?

The Office of Traffic Safety will help California achieve the fewest traffic fatalities in the nation.  To realize the vision we emphasize:

1. Human worth: OTS believes that every life lost on a California roadway is one too many.

2. Professionalism and integrity: OTS is committed to performing its mission to the highest professional and ethical standards.

3. Performance-based management: OTS is dedicated to being a performance-based organization – one that focuses on evaluating performance data, applying strategies for performance improvement, and achieving desired results and outcomes.

4. Personal and organizational sensitivity: OTS is committed to treating each other and all customers with the highest respect and regard for individual rights.

5. Open communication: OTS aims to facilitate the free and consistent flow of information in an honest and professional manner.

6. Teamwork: OTS recognizes and encourages the benefits of team-building and teamwork.

7. Commitment and loyalty: OTS strives to foster an environment in which accountability and commitment to the organization and its mission are supported and recognized.

8. Quality and customer focus: OTS is dedicated to delivering highquality work and excellent service to all its customers.

9. Innovation: OTS believes in and encourages new thinking and will constantly strive to develop new approaches to meet customer and program needs.

10. Professional growth: OTS is committed to helping staff realize their potential through mentoring, training, and providing opportunities for professional development and advancement.

11. Collaboration: OTS values working with other agencies, private sector businesses, and community organizations to expand resources and extend our messages.

Background

OTS strives to be results-oriented in all that we do and to be a thought-leader in the traffic safety arena. We proactively respond to emerging traffic safety issues through innovative and evidential-based programs and technologies, such as red light running cameras, vehicle speed feedback signs, flashing beacons at school crosswalks and countdown pedestrian signals. Through public-private partnerships with key stakeholders, we will work more effectively and continue to explore methods that enable traffic safety practitioners to do their jobs more efficiently.

Each October - November, OTS mails Requests for Concept Papers to more than 3,000 eligible agencies outlining the opportunity to participate in the program and the requirements to compete for available funds.

OTS grants touch as many state and local agencies as possible. There are eight program priority areas earmarked for grant funding: Alcohol and Other Drugs, Occupant Protection, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Emergency Medical Services, Traffic Records, Roadway Safety, and Police Traffic Services.

The OTS Highway Safety Program is a partnership effort between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal Highway Administration, and the states.

History

The California Traffic Safety Program (TSP) was created in 1967 by the Legislature to provide authority for California to carry out the direction of the National Highway Safety Act (NHWSA), which Congress passed in 1966.

The Governor gave the responsibility of TSP to the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BT&H). The Secretary of BT&H in turn created the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) with the administration of the TSP.

Each year the Highway Safety Plan (HSP) is developed to reflect current needs and details the planned use of federal funds. The HSP identifies problems, specific performance measures, proposed solutions, time frames and fiscal information on existing and planned new grants that are designed to mitigate traffic safety problems. OTS' role in this cycle has proven invaluable as it provides a vital link between Federal and State functions.

Approximately $70 million was awarded to 136 grantees in 2008. Increased grants were made for education and enforcement of the State’s DUI laws, including increased sobriety checkpoints, DUI patrols, warrant service operations for multiple DUI offenders and a variety of programs for California high schools.

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In 1966, motor vehicle traffic crashes nationally claimed 50,894 lives or 26 deaths for every 100,000 Americans. Recognizing the need to reduce the carnage on the nation's roads, Congress passed the National Highway Safety Act, which provides for federal traffic safety funds to states.

In 1967, the California Traffic Safety Program (TSP) was enacted by the Legislature to provide authority for California to implement the requirements of the national legislation. Subsequently, the Governor delegated authority to administer the TSP to the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing (BT&H) Agency. In turn, the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) was created in the BT&H Agency to administer the TSP under the direction of the Governor's Highway Safety Representative.

Priority areas have been established due to limited resources and extensive interest in participation by various agencies. Each year the Highway Safety Plan (HSP) is developed to reflect current needs and details the planned use of federal funds. The HSP identifies problems, specific performance measures, proposed solutions, time frames and fiscal information on continuing and planned new grants, which are designed to mitigate traffic safety problems.

California Overview

With 23.2 million licensed drivers and 33.8 million registered vehicles, traffic safety has an immense impact on quality of life, including the public safety of Californians and the vitality of the state's economy.

Through a combination of strategic public/private partnerships, community-based initiatives and many other traffic safety programs, the California mileage death rate (MDR) has fallen from 5.0 fatalities in 1967 to 1.27 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel in 2006. The lower MDR has resulted in cost savings to California and its citizens of up to $1.8 billion. The savings result from reductions in medical costs, property damage, insurance administration, productivity loss, and legal and court costs.

California's seat belt use rate has increased from 45 percent in 1990 to 94.6 percent in 2007. Nationally, the seat belt use rate is 81.4 percent. In 2007, child safety seat use decreased slightly from 87.8 percent to 87.7 percent. A large part of California's success can be attributed to the Primary Safety Belt law, efforts and initiatives by the California Highway Patrol, and OTS grant programs targeting local solutions such as education and enforcement programs, child safety seat distribution and fitting station programs, and multi-cultural outreach programs.

After years of declining alcohol-involved traffic fatalities, California has experienced eight consecutive years of increased alcohol-involved collisions (1998-2006), reflecting a nationwide trend. Nationally, efforts to impact driving under the influence (DUI) have stalled. It is important to note that California's alcohol fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled is .52, significantly below the national average of .59.

OTS continues to seek innovative and cutting edge traffic safety programs to save lives, thereby enhancing California’s already existing traffic safety success. OTS provides funding for injury prevention programs focusing on child passenger safety and pedestrian and bicycle safety. Among its funded programs is child safety seat fitting stations, and pedestrian and bicycle safety rodeos.

OTS also funds Corridor Safety Grants which implement traffic safety countermeasures on problem roadways, strategies that target multiple DUI offenders that fail to appear in court and violate probation, local hot lines and hot sheets to report drivers with suspended or revoked licenses that continue to drive, and county-wide “Avoid” DUI enforcement and public awareness programs. An example of an innovative program is the "Every 15 Minutes"; a statewide school assembly program that communicates directly with younger drivers to show the pain caused by DUI drivers. Other youth strategies include visitation programs for youthful DUI offenders who visit the Coroner’s Office and emergency rooms to view the real consequences of drinking and driving. Another new strategy involves bringing real DUI trials to high schools and bringing the sentencing phase of real DUI trial to middle school students.

In support of traffic safety technological upgrades, OTS funds programs that include the installation of hardware and software for Geographical Information Systems and other automated collision analysis systems for engineering and police departments. In addition, OTS funds the purchase of extrication equipment and ambulances to enhance local response time to motor vehicle crashes.

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OTS’ program goal is to help local communities develop traffic safety programs, which will contribute toward the reduction of the state’s MDR to 1.0 by 2008.

Each October - OTS requests proposals addressing traffic safety problems from all interested and eligible agencies. Typically, state and local agencies submit proposals upon request; however, they may at any time approach OTS for a traffic safety grant. While OTS accepts proposals on a daily basis, priority funding consideration is given to those submitted by January 31. In addition, OTS Coordinators function as liaisons with private and public sector traffic safety leaders to track successful programs and encourage collaborative efforts. This approach encourages widespread participation in the program and gives OTS a broad base from which to select the most effective and cost-efficient countermeasure programs possible.

OTS does not have sufficient funds for all submitted proposals. Therefore, a comprehensive review is part of the proposal selection process. OTS reviews proposals against several criteria including: potential traffic safety impact, collision statistics, seriousness of identified problem(s), and performance on previous grants.

OTS will fund 371 grants in 2008. The grants are distributed Statewide and regionally, as well as to programs that service seven identified regions, including: Northern California, Bay Area, Central Coast, Central California, Inland Empire, Los Angeles and Orange Counties and Southern Border.

Contact Michele Meadows, Assistant Director of Operations, (916) 262-0864.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified priority program areas for grant funding. These programs, administered by OTS, are:

Alcohol and Other Drugs: The program goal is to reduce deaths and injuries attributable to alcohol and drug involvement by removing alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers from the roads.

Occupant Protection: The program goal is to increase compliance with the safety restraint laws including the correct and consistent use of infant and child safety seats.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety: The program goal is to increase safety awareness among pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists through various approaches including education, enforcement and engineering.

Traffic Records: The program goal is to establish/improve record systems that aid in identifying existing and emerging traffic safety problems and aid in evaluating program performance. Accurate and current records are needed to support problem identification and to evaluate countermeasure effectiveness.

Emergency Medical Services: The program goal is to ensure that persons involved in motor vehicle collisions receive rapid and appropriate medical treatment through a coordinated system of emergency medical care.

Roadway Safety: The program goal is to improve the roadway and associated environment with a special emphasis on the identification and surveillance of crash locations, traffic control device inventories and other related traffic engineering services.

Police Traffic Services: The program goal is to reduce motor vehicle collisions through selective enforcement, education and deterrence. PTS programs seek to encourage compliance with safety belt use, impaired driving, speed limit and other traffic laws.

Motorcycle Safety: The program goal is to improve motorcycle safety by training and educating motorcycle riders on the effectiveness and need for safety equipment and educating the motoring public on the presence of motorcycles in the traffic environment.

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The OTS recognizes the great importance of public/private partnerships in reducing fatalities, injuries and economic costs resulting from motor vehicle collisions, and has long been a leader in forming and supporting public/private endeavors. Successful OTS partnership efforts include:

California Partners:

The OTS has developed a variety of valuable partnerships to help extend the reach of various campaign messages. For example, the California Restaurant Association has been a key partner in California’s annual Holiday DUI Crackdown campaign each December, enabling the OTS to tap into thousands of bars and restaurants statewide. Additional Holiday DUI Crackdown partners include the California Highway Patrol, California Chamber of Commerce, CSAA, Caltrans and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, among others.

OTS Traffic Safety Summit:

OTS conducts a Traffic Safety Summit to encourage partnership building of the public and private sectors, including representatives from law enforcement, engineering, health care, judicial, licensing and community activists/advocates, and the corporate culture. The Summit is the single largest gathering of traffic safety professionals in the country hosted by one state. Corporate sponsors of the 2007 Summit in San Diego included the Auto Club of Southern California, CSAA, AARP Driver Safety, Allstate Insurance Foundation, Safe Kids Worldwide and Toyota Motor Sales, USA.

California Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS):

NETS is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping employers develop and implement comprehensive workplace traffic safety programs designed to help reduce the incidence and costs associated with motor vehicle-related crashes. This is accomplished by assisting private companies and other concerned entities with the implementation of policies, on-site employee programs, and community activities through training and the formal and informal exchange of information. NETS members include OTS, NHTSA, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), CHP, AT&T, Airborne Express, Farmers Insurance, NEC, Orkin Pest Control, Radisson Hotels, PG&E and others.