SCAG Awarded $1.6 Million in Grants for Traffic Safety Programs

SCAG has been awarded $1.6 million in grant funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The funding is for transportation safety improvements, including the expansion of a web-based transportation safety data and analytical tool that utilizes traffic safety data to analyze, model, and predict traffic safety performance and risks, as well as continued work on its regional traffic safety and community engagement program, Go Human. 

Southern California has some of the highest rates of injuries and fatalities in the United States among pedestrians and bicyclists. An average of five people die, and 20 people are seriously injured every day in traffic collisions in the six-county SCAG region (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties). People walking and riding bikes account for more than 34 percent of regional traffic deaths annually, despite comprising less than 10 percent of all trips.

One of the two recently awarded OTS grants for $900,000 will support the continued development and enhancement of a regional transportation safety data analysis and collision predictive modeling platform. The platform will be equipped with the ability to model, predict, and analyze safety risks on Southern California’s multimodal transportation system. 

“Ensuring the safety of the region’s roadways is one of our top priorities. Whether you’re driving or walking, we want every Californian to arrive at their destination safely. We are dedicated to the continued development of new tools and enhancement of existing tools that support that mission,” said SCAG Regional Council President and Long Beach District 2 City Councilmember Cindy Allen.

The predictive safety data platform will help reduce the number and severity of roadway collisions occurring in the region by leveraging innovative technologies and safety data resources, such as in-vehicle information systems and newly available collision modeling capacities. 

OTS also granted $700,000 for continuation of SCAG’s Go Human program, which launched in 2015 to reduce collisions, improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, and raise awareness of the importance of traffic safety. The newly awarded OTS grant will fund the continuation of Go Human activities through Sept. 30, 2026.  

With this additional grant funding, SCAG will: 

• Develop new traffic safety creative, including messaging and materials.
• Implement recommendations from the fiscal year 2025 accessibility assessment to improve the use and impact of the Go Human Kit of Parts Lending Library.
• Provide direct support for partners across the region for traffic safety events, including distribution of bicycle and pedestrian safety materials.
• Fund and support local community experts through community-based organizations to facilitate traffic safety education across the region.

OTS-funded activities in fiscal year 2026 are anticipated to leverage a five-year, $12 million grant from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. The SS4A grant will expand the reach of SCAG’s Go Human work, such as technical assistance for temporary demonstration projects, co-branded safety messaging, and the Community Streets Grant Program, which has distributed more than $1.7 million to community-based organizations since 2018.  

“When it comes to safe biking and walking, communities know their challenges best. Having a pulse on community partners and organizations and their needs is valuable to the work that we do in making travel safer by foot or bicycle. Go Human empowers community members with the resources made available through this OTS partnership to respond to these needs in meaningful ways specifically tailored to their community’s needs,” said SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise.   

The California Office of Traffic Safety receives funding through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information, visit SCAG’s Go Human web page.