CalMatters Ponders State Inaction During Ongoing Traffic Safety Crisis

Nearly 40,000 people have died and over 2 million were injured on state roadways in the past decade, yet Sacramento has treated the crisis with near silence. 

In Part 4 of its “License to Kill” series, CalMatters looks at how state inaction is largely responsible for this carnage.

The article opens with a sad but familiar story.

At a March Senate Transportation Committee hearing, Caltrans Director Tony Tavares laid out a stark chart showing a more than 60% rise in fatalities since 2010 — but lawmakers barely asked (and the two that did were Republicans) about dangerous driving, focusing instead on unrelated topics like homeless encampments and gas tax revenue.

The ongoing CalMatters investigation found repeat drunk drivers, chronic speeders, and motorists with histories of reckless behavior at the heart of the problem. Despite this, state leaders — including Gov. Gavin Newsom and DMV head Steve Gordon — have failed to act meaningfully. Heck, Newsom even vetoed a bill that would have required in-car speeding alerts. This is not the first time Newsom has disappointed people crying out for safer streets.

California’s DUI laws rank among the weakest in the nation, and legislative efforts to mandate speed-limiting technology have stalled, leaving enforcement weak and safety gains modest at best.