Carlsbad police present 2025 traffic safety review: collisions stable, speed and e‑bike interactions top concerns

Lieutenant Jason Arnotti, manager of the Carlsbad Police Department's traffic division, presented the department's 2025 year‑end traffic safety report to the Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission on Feb. 3.

Arnotti said the department issued more than 5,000 parking citations and warnings in 2025 and conducted more than 4,500 traffic stops, with enforcement peaking during the summer. The department recorded 706 reported collisions for the year, with quarterly totals of 185, 166, 172 and 178, respectively. Arnotti identified unsafe speed as the most common primary collision factor, followed by improper turning and driving under the influence.

Police recorded five fatal collisions across three quarters in 2025. Arnotti noted that several high‑consequence collisions involved drivers who had prior stops or arrests; one collision resulted in a DUI homicide charge because the driver had earlier been arrested for DUI. He said most collisions resulted in property damage or minor injury and that severe injuries and fatalities represented a small portion of the total but the highest consequence outcomes.

The presentation also covered bicycle and e‑bike collisions, which remain concentrated on downtown and coastal corridors and school routes. Arnotti said two‑thirds of bicyclist incidents were multi‑party collisions involving vehicles, and that reducing risk requires addressing both rider and driver behavior. The department plans targeted e‑bike enforcement, education campaigns with the district attorney's public information office and collaboration with student leadership groups to develop youth-focused materials. Arnotti said the DA partnership could also support legally sufficient admonishments and parent accountability when juveniles are involved with illegal e‑motorcycles.

On impaired‑driving enforcement, Arnotti said the department ran DUI checkpoints with a randomized screening method (a 50% rule for vehicles through the checkpoint). Out of one recent checkpoint that processed 713 vehicles, the department screened roughly half, referred nearly 15 to secondary inspection and made two DUI arrests.

Commissioners asked about LIDAR retention, enforcement of AB 413 daylighting, checkpoint purpose and whether speed‑data vendors could help identify peak times and outliers. Arnotti said LIDAR devices have short retention and officers memorialize evidence on body‑worn cameras or other records; daylighting enforcement has been active, and the department is exploring data vendors for emerging traffic tools.

What happens next: The department will continue targeted enforcement and roll out education work in May for National Bicycle Safety Month; staff will coordinate DA partnership efforts and report back as pilot efforts develop.

Sources: Presentation by Lieutenant Jason Arnotti and staff Q&A at the Feb. 3 Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission meeting.