The Long Beach health department has been awarded nearly $1 million to advance traffic safety education and prevention efforts to help reduce crashes related to distracted or impaired driving, and unsafe biking and walking behaviors.

That money — totaling $915,000 — is spread across three grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety, with the funding coming through funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a press release.

The funding will support the health department’s traffic safety prevention programs, officials said, including Walk & Roll LB, which delivers bicycle, pedestrian and active-transportation safety and injury-prevention education; and Greenlight LB, which leads the city’s distracted- and impaired-driving prevention work.

Together, these efforts promote safer travel across the city through education, outreach and behavior-change strategies, with a focus on youth and young adults, high-risk neighborhoods and communities disproportionatley impacted by traffic collisions.

In 2024, there were 40 traffic-related deaths, according to data from the Long Beach Police Department, up from 36 in 2023.

The three grants the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services received will help ongoing efforts to reduce serious traffic-related injuries and fatalities. The money will also help align the health department’s Strategic Plan with the city’s Safe Streets initiative – aimed at eliminating traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2026 – and its Strategic Vision 2030 goals.

“Traffic safety continues to be one of our top public safety priorities,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “These grants allow us to educate our community, promote safer choices and prevent injuries on our streets.”

The funds, which arrived on Oct. 1 and will last until Sept. 30, will support various initiatives, according to a press release. Some of these initiatives include school and community-based presentations promoting safe behaviors for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers; peer-to-peer youth engagement programs addressing distracted and impaired driving; interactive demonstrations and hands-on learning activities that reinforce safe choices; and distribution of free traffic protective gear, such as helmets, bike lights and reflective materials to support safer walking and biking; among others.

“These combined investments strengthen the cornerstone of our injury-prevention work at the health department,” Alison King, director of the health department, said in a statement. “By focusing on education, behavior change and hands-on strategies that meet people where they are, we’re helping youth, families and high-risk communities stay safe on Long Beach streets.”

Long Beach’s programs have delivered significant prevention and safety impacts over the past year, with the support of previous OTS funding, officials said.

Thiese include:

Reaching more than 8,300 community members through education, outreach and safety demonstrations.
Conducting 37 presentations across Long Beach Unified School District campuses.
Engaging youth leaders through peer-to-peer programs that promote safe driving and active transportation.
Distributing 264 helmets, and more than 3,200 bike lights and reflective gear to support safer biking and walking.
Hosting community pop-up events, impaired-driving demonstrations and youth-focused activities.
Delivering citywide media and awareness campaigns to reduce distracted and drug-impaired driving.

“Traffic safety education saves lives,” OTS Director Stephanie Dougherty said in a statement. “Staying alert, sober and distraction-free behind the wheel can prevent tragedies on our roadways. We are proud to support Long Beach as they continue these critical efforts.”