SW Riverside News

Senator Kelly Seyarto's bill aimed at improving road safety on some of California's most dangerous highways has been vetoed by the Governor. The legislation, known as SB 936, would have required the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to publish a study identifying the top 15 locations in the state highway system with the highest rate of vehicle collisions. The goal was to properly fund and prioritize rehabilitation for those roads.

"SB 936 was a critical step toward addressing the safety risks that countless Californians face every day on our highways," said Senator Kelly Seyarto. "We cannot afford to continue patching up dangerous roads with short-term fixes that cost lives and escalate expenses in the long run. This bill would have provided a targeted, data-driven approach to ensuring that our most hazardous roadways receive the attention and rehabilitation they desperately need. I'm deeply disappointed by the veto, as it sends a message that road safety isn’t being prioritized at a time when fatalities are on the rise."

Car crashes remain a leading cause of unintentional injury or death for Californians. Traffic fatalities increased by 22% from 2019 to 2022, with severe and fatal traffic crashes resulting in $166 billion in economic and quality-of-life costs for Californians in 2022 alone.

The bill was inspired by particularly dangerous stretches of road across the state, including "Dead Man’s Curve" on the Pacific Coast Highway and the Ramona Expressway through San Jacinto and Perris. Local municipalities have declared states of emergency to free up resources for these hazardous roads, but little state action has been taken in response.