SACRAMENTO – California State Transportation Agency Secretary Toks Omishakin and California Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney today issued the following statement after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its early estimate of traffic fatalities for 2021, projecting 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, including 4,258 deaths in California:
“It is beyond tragic that nearly 10% of all traffic deaths in the country last year occurred on California roads – 4,258 lives cut short and countless families who will never get to see a loved one again.
“There is a crisis on our roadways, and our collective focus is on tackling it with urgency and taking a bolder, more innovative approach that will save lives. California is doing everything possible to implement comprehensive traffic safety measures to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roadways as part of our ‘Safe System’ approach.
“We recognize there is no single solution to this crisis. It will take a number of solutions working in concert – from enforcement and education programs that seek to change the most unlawful and dangerous behaviors, to designing safer roads with safer speeds, and focusing on fixing the deadliest areas. We must create a more forgiving transportation system and add multiple layers of protection that together will reduce the number and seriousness of crashes.
“We will work tirelessly to make it happen and won’t be satisfied until the annual number of traffic deaths in California stays at zero for good.”
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