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Tomàs Rivera Policy Institute

TSC Newsletter: Disparities in Traffic Safety

AITS Report: Rural and Agricultural Transportation

Other stories this issue:

The Complexity of Rural Roads
The Changing Nature of Rural Traffic Demands New Ways to Improve Safety


The Dilemma of Vasco Road
A Case Study of the Safety Issues of a Rural Road in Transition


Where Getting from Crash to Care Is Still a Challenge
Geography and Budgets Create Barriers for Rural EMS



Changing Rural Drivers' Minds and Actions
Using the Full Spectrum of Community- Based Tools

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The Huron Story

Traffic Safety Challenges in an Agricultural Setting
 

The town of Huron, a small farming community outside Fresno in California's Central Valley, illustrates the interplay between an agricultural setting and rural traffic safety practices and problems. Home year-round to about 6,000 people, 98 percent of whom are Latino, Huron's population doubles during harvest season, which is six months out of the year. Traffic on its roads becomes heavier, both in numbers and variety. It is not just the expected semis hauling produce and tractors and farm equipment, but also vans and old school buses transporting laborers to and from the fields, children on bicycles and other non-driving household members making their way—often without benefit of sidewalks—to shops, doctors or neighbors. The roads in town undergo a physical transformation as well: at times, they are coated with layers of mud and dust, which often obscure lane markings.  

At the same time, the demand placed on the region's roads and transit services is outpacing what's available. The problems are compounded by the unique traffic safety needs associated with more recently settled Latino communities like Huron, including higher numbers of unlicensed, uninsured drivers, higher incidences of DUI, lower seat belt use rates and lack of knowledge of and training in U.S. traffic laws.  

Because its core residential population is relatively large and is roughly equal to the seasonal farmworker visitor population, Huron was selected as the host town for a community forum to address traffic safety problems facing rural Latinos in the Central Valley . It was organized by the Traffic Safety Center , along with the Tomàs Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California in May 2004. (A second forum addressing traffic safety issues among urban Latinos was held in Los Angeles that same month.)

Another reason Huron was chosen, according to Elsa Macias, a researcher at the Rivera Institute, was its strong sense of central identity, as evidenced by the presence of a community center, which serves as a connecting place between what Macias calls "outsiders" and the town's Latino community. The people who attended the forum, conducted in Spanish at the center, reflected Huron's diversity, Macias said, with both long-time residents of the area and new temporary workers participating.

"Statistics point to a higher incidence of fatal crashes [among rural residents].” Macias said. "We were trying to find out what policies can be instituted to lower those incidences, to hear from the community what the problems are." Indeed, studies have shown that the majority of crashes—about 60 percent—occur on rural roads. For Latinos, the leading cause of death for persons aged 25 and under is motor vehicle crashes, and it is the second leading cause of death for those between the ages of 25 and 44.

The Five Points Crash

When examining the recent history of traffic safety in California's Central Valley, one incident stands out—a 1999 collision in the Fresno County town of Five Points between a semi tractor trailer and a van carrying laborers back from the field in the early hours of the morning after they had worked the graveyard shift on mechanical tomato harvesters. Thirteen of the van's 15 occupants were killed.  

The circumstances surrounding the crash reflect many elements that are characteristic of rural traffic safety and agricultural settings in particular. Laborers commonly travel to and from the fields in multi-passenger vehicles, either vans, school buses, or, most dangerous of all, passenger cars and pickup trucks that are not designed for a large number of occupants. In many instances, they are charged a fee for the ride, either by employers or middlemen acting in close concert with the employer. Often it is the only way employers allow workers to travel to the job site. That arrangement gives an incentive for operators to keep costs down, and such cost-cutting often results in them taking measures such as overcrowding the vans by installing benches and other types of seating that don't have adequate restraints.  

Surveys of farmworkers in rural California have indicated that drinking among van operators and passengers, especially at the end of a long shift, is not uncommon. While the driver of the Five Points van was not impaired by alcohol, he had had his license revoked following a DUI arrest five years before (though the California Highway Patrol records did not show whether he had been convicted, a Los Angeles Times article reported). He also had a record of traffic violations. Typically, there is a high incidence of driving without a license or insurance, and the proper training required to obtain them, especially among undocumented workers—although this particular driver had a license, albeit revoked.  

Seat belt use and the use of child restraints among Latinos in rural and agricultural settings is significantly lower than the average, and most of the Five Points victims were not belted in. The van had lost its permit to operate as a bus, which made it illegal for passengers to ride in it without seat belts.  

In its 2003 report, the Agricultural Industries Transportation Services project (AITS)—initiated in part in response to the Five Points collision—identified safety as the single most pressing concern in "existing agricultural worker transportation conditions." The report states, "There continues to be a major problem caused by unsafe, uninsured, unregistered and overloaded vehicles on California 's rural roadways." (See sidebar for link to report.)

Many of the issues raised by the Five Points crash and the ensuing investigations were raised by the participants in the 2004 Huron forum, some five years later. Their concerns and observations included the prevalence of unlicensed drivers, overcrowded and overloaded vans and low seat belt compliance rates. They also cited roads in bad repair, lack of traffic signals, hazardous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, and inadequate transit service. Transit service is especially important given the widely reported practice of steering workers away from their own transportation to get to work in favor of employer-operated vans. Macias said she was surprised at how many participants reported being subject to the requirement in order to obtain and keep their jobs.   

"The people at the Huron forum, who were mostly field workers, said that most employers required them to get to and from work in vans," Macias said. "They pay drivers $5, $6. They all get transported to the field, then back at the end of the day. You squeeze 13, 14 people into the vans. Most people are not using seat belts, because you can't really use seat belts for that many people."  

The practice creates other problems, she said. “For instance, if you're sick, drivers don't want to come back. You're stuck out there." One of the participants cited an instance from a few days before in which a female worker had experienced what the participant called an "epilepsy stroke" in the field but "no one wanted to help her" or transport her to a medical facility.

The AITS report noted other problems reported by Central Valley laborers. They complained of a lack of standards and qualifications for van operators, stating that many drivers were selected simply because they already owned a vehicle. Fees were raised arbitrarily, as the operator deemed necessary. Service was often irregular, and "overcrowding of vehicles and unsafe conditions such as lack of seat belts, or presence of tools and harvesting equipment" in the vans were frequent. (The latter would be a violation of the labor code.) According to the report, seats in many vans had been replaced with wooden planks to accommodate more riders. Participants of focus groups said that some drivers drank and or used drugs while operating vehicles.

Riding in employer-operated vans has become safer since the 1999 crash, however, according to Andrew Alvarado, who is a professor at California State University , Fresno , and is a member of the advisory committee for the Latino Traffic Safety Project (a joint effort of the TSC and the Tomàs Rivera Policy Institute). His findings show a somewhat different picture. Vans that have been designated as farmworker vehicles—which means they are certified to carry nine passengers or more, as opposed to ordinary passenger cars—are inspected and certified by the California Highway Patrol, Alvarado noted.

"The CHP are doing a very effective job in enforcing the laws pertaining to the regulated vans," he said. "They are very aggressive in their safety promotion and education efforts to support their enforcement as well. The chance of a van transporting farmworkers being stopped by the CHP is very high. Therefore, we see high compliance."

The problem, according to Alvarado, seems to be less with the operators of certified vans than with operators who "cannot afford or choose not to condition their vehicles to meet the legal safety requirement." Referring to surveys he was familiar with, Alvarado said that the practice of agricultural operators requiring workers to travel to the fields in specified vans is more commonly reported in California 's central coast area and does not seem as prevalent in the Central Valley .

Alvarado said that it is crew bosses, rather than farm owners, who provide rides for a fee to earn additional income. While some of these crew bosses operate vehicles that are up to the legal standard, others "opt to provide transportation in private cars and smaller vans," which means they are not required to be certified and inspected by the CHP. What was intended to make farmworker transportation safer may have had an unintended consequence, he said. "Rather than having 5,000 unregulated vans transporting farmworkers, we may now have 25,000 unregulated cars transporting the same number of workers," Alvarado said.

Still, not all the problems identified by Huron forum participants are widespread, or they are not so common as to be identified by surveys or by the CHP. Alvarado said that in his survey work he has "never heard of a case where an injured or ill worker was not taken to receive health care when needed while on the job."

Furthermore, Alvarado said that alcohol use among van drivers and passengers, though it may occur, has not resulted in high rates of alcohol-related crashes. According to Alvarado, "drugs and alcohol, while believed to be a factor in farmworker transportation safety, is not supported by the CHP crash reports. Out of 42 crashes during a recent 12-month period in Fresno County and Tulare [a neighboring county], only two were reported to involve alcohol. Nearly all crashes occur between five and seven a.m.—hardly a time when farmworkers drink alcohol."  

Alvarado said that in general vehicle safety has improved since the 1999 crash, though there is still more work to be done.  

"After the 1999 crash, there is a greater awareness about vehicular safety and farmworkers. The CHP presence in rural areas is much greater. Van crashes have declined significantly. We are working to educate farmworkers, their families and employers about this issue and are approaching this as a public health problem through an outreach campaign."

The Bus Stops Where? 

The AITS report found that most of the transit services available in the rural Central Valley have relatively few systems operating during the hours when farm laborers travel to work, which tend to be very early in the morning and, at peak harvest time, very late at night. Furthermore, the study found that it's not always a matter of a simple trip to and from one job site: many laborers are required to travel from location to location throughout the day.

Macias confirmed the AITS findings for Huron and surrounding areas. "Public transit is practically nonexistent," she said. "And what's out there doesn't work for most people."

One forum participant summed up public transportation in the Huron area as "expensive" with a timetable that is "no good" and a route that is "useless. It leaves us very far from home most of the time."

Another participant added, "There's no frequent transportation from Coalinga [60 miles southwest of Fresno and about 25 miles southwest of Huron] to Fresno, for instance, if you have to go buy house stuff, or if you have to go to the hospital, or something like that. There's no transportation to take us to the doctor's appointment and there's no transportation to take us back. "  

An intercity bus operated by the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency travels between Huron and Fresno , but only once per day—and not at all on Sundays. Another intercity line makes two round trips between Huron and Coalinga, but only on weekdays and not in a way that easily connects with the Huron-Fresno line. Those who need to make trips within the Huron city limits can call a "demand-responsive" service that operates Monday through Friday and be picked up within 15 minutes, according to Jeffrey Webster, General Manager for the transit agency.

Webster said that demand for transit services in Huron continues to grow, and the Huron-Coalinga route helps meet that need. "The ones that need to go back and forth to Coalinga for a doctor’s appointment or to fill a prescription seem to be quite pleased." The transit agency has no immediate plans to increase service.

Andrew Wainer, a Rivera Institute researcher and a facilitator of the Huron forum, said there is still "plenty of dissatisfaction" with the transit situation among farmworkers. Buses might get them to a doctor's appointment in Coalinga or Fresno , he says, but the bus home may leave before they are done.

Private Cars Not a Sure Answer

Understandably, laborers who owned their own vehicles or rode to work with family members who owned vehicles tended to be happier with their transportation situation than those who rode in employer-operated vans, according to the AITS report. But if the private vehicle is driven by someone who is unlicensed, untrained and uninsured, it can be an unsafe option.

Macias notes that many unsafe behaviors, such as riding unbelted, failing to use child restraints, failure to obey signs and signals, and drinking and driving, might be reduced if more drivers were licensed. Many, she says, simply don't know the rules of the road. "A lot of that comes with education, and a lot of that education comes with getting your driver's license."

But licenses are restricted to legal, documented residents in California , and proposals to extend driver's licenses to undocumented residents created a political furor. Even if the driver can obtain a license, he may be unable to pay for insurance and registration, reducing the need for the car to meet minimal safety standards. "I can barely pay my car expenses," one participant explained. "So forget car insurance. With the money we make, it is impossible, and one has to go on as one can."

Lack of seat belt and child seat use was one of the most hotly discussed issues at the forum. Some participants said they didn't use seat belts because they found them uncomfortable. Others said they feared being trapped in a vehicle by a seat belt in the event of a crash. Others said that they or people they knew simply didn't use them because they didn't think of it.

"I think people don't use it simply because they're not aware," one participant said. "It doesn't have to do with statistics or accidents, they simply don't use it."

Another participant said that many just forget to use them.  

"I think that's the case, most of the time. Either that or they just don't care."  

Macias noted, however, that participants seemed to have an overwhelmingly favorable response to media messages encouraging people to buckle up. Participants said, however, that most public service announcements, though effective, remained on the air for only a short period of time.  

"They start something and then soon afterwards, they stop," one participant said. "They have to show these commercials constantly, because, aside from the fines, people get killed. People like you and me, people next to you. There are fatal accidents."  

Added another participant: "Many of us know, for instance, that we should never speed up, but people do it anyway, they forget and then accidents happen all the time. We are not being honest with ourselves and we don't want to obey the rules. That's why campaigns are so important. It's a big lack of responsibility. Let me tell you, I do use seat belts and take care of my family, because I watch accidents on TV."

Macias said that programs to get people to buckle up only succeed if people feel comfortable participating in them. For instance, undocumented workers may hesitate to go to California Highway Patrol-sponsored programs to learn how to use child seats, fearing that they’ll be asked for identification.  

"If you don't know how to install a car seat properly, where are you going to go where you're not at risk for being taken in for being undocumented or for not having a license or insurance?” Macias said. “If you're going to improve user compliance with car seats, there have to be places where people [can learn how to use them] where they will not also check for proof of insurance, [alternatives] such as a community center."

Roadside Issues: Sidewalks, Pavement and Pedestrians

Macias said, however, that trying to change behavior through community-wide education programs does not address all of Huron's traffic safety problems. Another critical element is the poor infrastructure: roads, sidewalks, lighting, signs and signals. Driving into Huron for the forum, Macias found many roads to be in poor condition, with inadequate signage.  

Wainer agreed, noting that the town's main road "was not in the best shape" when he drove through for the forum. "It was kind of bumpy and cracked. The infrastructure [of the town's roads] was pretty informal. There were few stoplights. There were some semi trucks going through. The roads are right there by undeveloped ground, and that [dirt] can easily be spread on the road. During harvest season the dirt covers up the lines on the streets, so it makes it more dangerous for cars, because it's slippery and dirty and you can't see. And that's also when it's most busy, so [the problem] is compounded."

Wainer said that many of the issues raised in the forum, as well as the problems he observed driving around town, could be addressed fairly easily.

"These are things that could easily be taken care of—more stoplights, more stop signs, more lanes for bicycles. More public space for things to do."

Several participants of the forum complained of the lack of bike lanes. Their absence affects children in particular, participants said. Children ride in the street, often without helmets or lights at night.

But many of the problems in rural areas like Huron come down to what Macias calls "a different mentality." Both employers and farmworkers seem to have a different attitude toward driving than people in urban areas, she said. Macias observed that Huron forum participants identified getting to work and feeding their kids as their main concerns. For the area's poorer residents, asking the city to put in more stoplights or to fix roads takes a backseat to putting food on the table.