Teresa Becher on Traffic Safety in California

Teresa Becher is the Interim Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). In a recent exchange, she described her work at OTS, her previous experience at the California Highway Patrol, current OTS Priorities, and the state of traffic safety in California.

 

How did you become interested in traffic safety?

I joined the California Highway Patrol in 1989, and what left a tremendous impact on me was responding to the numerous, gruesome collisions that could have been avoided. 

Could you tell me more about your work at CHP? What first brought you there?

I did my road time in the Lake Arrowhead area and Monterey.  Afterward, I worked in CHP’s Legislative Unit and Special Projects.  I was first recruited out of Inland Division in 1989; the CHP has proven to be the best choice I have ever made.


You have served as interim director at OTS since late 1999. Could you describe the transition and how your work at OTS and CHP relate to or complement one another?

As a Lieutenant in Special Projects, I ran the grants program for the CHP.  I became that department’s expert on the Intermodel Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), and on TEA-21. So while I knew a lot about grants, the transition came when I had to see the larger picture from a multi-agency perspective.  My work at OTS and the CHP is interconnected.  Both have similar missions:  to save lives and reduce injuries from traffic crashes.

How have OTS priorities changed since you have been interim director? What brought this about?

One of the major changes is our focus on community outreach, in terms of funding community-based organizations.  I share the Davis Administration’s goal to utilize grass-roots community organizations to affect the underserved and over-represented groups in traffic safety.

 
California’s traffic fatality rates are among the lowest in the nation. You’ve written that California’s traffic safety success was achieved through tough legislation, increased enforcement, and grants for community education – clearly, a combined effort involving many different types of agencies. How did traffic safety become a statewide priority? What was done to get so many stakeholders to ‘buy in’ to the importance of traffic safety?

Traffic safety has been a statewide priority for years.  Through the leadership of agencies like the CHP, Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the OTS, and Business, Transportation & Housing, the Administration has made transportation and traffic safety a top priority.  For example, occupant protection in the late 1980s and early 1990s became a priority for California as a key strategy to save lives.  Lead agencies for traffic safety such as the CHP and OTS built a statewide seat belt task force that brought key stakeholders to the table.  This partnership approach mobilized California and helped pass legislation that had a direct impact on the issue. 

Do you have any specific recommendations to other states trying to achieve higher occupant protection rates?

I would encourage the use of appropriate data and analysis to determine who is not buckling up.  Secondly, I would recommend the formation of partnerships to reach out to key stakeholders at the grassroots level to effect change.

What have the barriers to improving traffic safety been?

Keeping the public and media focused on traffic safety.  Last year, over 3,900 people were killed in collisions in California.  But since they weren’t killed in a single event, the focus is fragmented.

What do you feel is still needed?

Innovative ideas!  California has always been a national leader in traffic safety innovation.  New ideas are only fresh for so long.  Today’s world is technologically advanced and fast-paced.  You need new ideas every six months to stay ahead of the curve.

What are your personal goals or areas of interest related to traffic safety?

Anyone who knows me knows my focus is DUI and occupant protection.  DUI, because it is a pointless, senseless crime, and because 37 percent of all crashes are alcohol-involved. Occupant Protection, because it has a huge impact on traffic safety.

 
Are there any current traffic safety approaches or projects that you’re especially excited about?

We’re very excited about the California Seat Belt Compliance Campaign (CSBCC), the state’s most aggressive and comprehensive program ever to increase seat belt use.  The CHP, OTS, and local law enforcement agencies are joining together in a $4 million effort to raise California’s seat belt use to 92 percent in 2003.  The campaign includes two mobilizations – the recently concluded November mobilization, and another one May 19-26 (over Memorial Day weekend).  We’re directing approximately $1 million to locals in the form of mini-grants, and the remaining $2.9 million for two, month-long statewide public awareness efforts to get the word out. 

 
What are some emerging traffic safety issues within OTS?

We have long recognized that with the maturing “Baby Boomer” generation, there comes an increased population of older drivers.  OTS believes in taking a pro-active approach to preventing traffic related injuries and deaths in this group.  We’ve partnered with the Center for Injury Prevention Policy and Practice, San Diego State University, and, the Automobile Club of Southern California to develop a coordinated approach to preventing traffic-related injuries and fatalities among older adults.

 

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