Hello Bicycle Club of Irvine,
My name is Kristen Weiss and I am a policy and legislative intern for SAFE (Streets Are For Everyone), a non-profit organization that aims towards improving the quality of life for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers in the Los Angeles community and throughout California.
I am writing to you to ask whether you can support an important upcoming bill, AB 645, that would greatly reduce traffic collisions in California through the use of speed cameras. As someone who is a Californian and a frequent cyclist, road safety is an issue that is greatly important to me as I have experienced numerous close encounters in which my safety has been at risk due to drivers speeding or not paying attention. Therefore, I believe this bill will improve road safety and reduce traffic collisions throughout California.
I hope your organization can support AB 645 which will make roads safer for everyone in California. I have provided more information about traffic collisions in Los Angeles, California, and AB 645 below; if you would like to know more about the issue and bill.
Los Angeles has seen a record number of traffic fatalities in 2022. See our report Dying on the Streets of Los Angeles, or you can watch our short video Something Must Be Done About Traffic Fatalities in LA. The biggest factor in the spike in serious injuries and fatalities is unchecked speeding.
It’s not just Los Angeles. California had 4161 fatalities in 2021 and almost 20,000 people seriously injured. The primary collision factor for traffic collisions in CA, speeding – 45.3% of all collisions were the result of unsafe speed. (Source: TIMS)
Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) is working with SF Walks, Streets for All and a coalition of other non-profits on an important piece of legislation this year, AB 645 -- Speed Safety System Pilot. Attached is a fact sheet on the bill, and the full language is contained here: AB 645 Full Language.
Whether it's from a traffic safety perspective, a social justice perspective, a public health perspective, or an environmental perspective, there are many reasons why this bill makes sense. We are working to build a coalition of support for this bill and hope you will be a part of this.
How You Can Help
Sign on to the letter of support for AB 645. The deadline for sign-on is the end of business day on Tuesday, April 10th.
Please look at the attached Fact Sheet and let me know if you have any questions. I'm more than happy to jump on a call to answer questions or set up a short presentation.
Thank you, in advance, for your support.
Best,
Kristen Weiss, Policy and Legislative Intern
Streets Are For Everyone
