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Calif. transportation chief spotlights safety work after AASHTO summit, cites drop in fatalities
Summary
On Infra Talk America, CalSTA Secretary Toks Omishakin described California’s safe‑system approach, his role at a recent AASHTO safety summit and a reported 9.4% decrease in traffic fatalities in 2023, which he estimated saved about 400 lives compared with the prior year.
Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, told host Greg Neto that safety is CalSTA’s top priority and described recent national convenings and state results intended to reduce roadway deaths.
"We were the first state in the country, first DOT when I was Caltrans director to adopt a safe system approach," Omishakin said, linking the approach to the administration’s Vision Zero goals for vulnerable road users.
Omishakin said he played a leading role at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) safety summit in Kansas City, where delegates agreed on a joint resolution and concrete action items to reduce fatalities. "I was thrilled and honored to lead several sessions and several discussions," he said.
Reporting results, Omishakin said California experienced a near 9.4% decrease in fatalities in 2023 and estimated that equated to "400 plus lives potentially saved compared to the prior year." He attributed the decline in part to policy choices and national exchange of best practices but did not provide a department release or raw dataset during the interview.
Omishakin emphasized that vulnerable road users—pedestrians and cyclists—accounted for about 30% of recent fatalities in California and that the safe‑system approach and continued national coordination are core to reversing longer‑term trends.
The secretary framed the state’s safety work as complementary to other priorities—climate, equity and economic prosperity—saying coordinated policy, enforcement partners and community engagement are needed to sustain the gains.
Omishakin closed the conversation by reiterating that safety is "our foremost responsibility," and saying shared measurement, national collaboration and local implementation are central to ongoing efforts.
