UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research & Education Center (SafeTREC) is excited to announce the launch of the California Safe System Institute for Road Safety, a collaborative effort in partnership with the Vision Zero Network and Fehr & Peers. This new initiative is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

In California and across the U.S., the Safe System Approach (SSA) is increasingly recognized as an effective way to promote roadway safety. SSA recognizes that people will inevitably make mistakes while using the transportation system and that human bodies have limited ability to tolerate crash impacts. Therefore, all elements of the transportation system should be designed and maintained to help guard against those mistakes becoming fatal or severe.

The Institute is an SSA training and technical support program that aims to train participants in the SSA framework, provide collaborative opportunities within its inaugural cohort, and create tangible next steps for institutionalizing SSA within participant organizations.

In its initial pilot phase, participation in the Institute is limited to individuals from local agencies to test feasibility and gather early feedback. Future phases will expand to include advocates and policymakers, contingent on funding.

Program Commitments:

• Attend the virtual pre-workshop session in spring 2026
• Attend a 1-day in-person workshop in Berkeley, CA (tentatively June 2026)
• Attend a virtual post-workshop session in summer 2026

Interested in participating? Learn More