Project Summary
Assembly Bill (AB) 251 (Ward, 2023) went into effect on January 1, 2024. This bill directs the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to convene a task force to study the relationship between vehicle weight and road user injuries and fatalities (and other related topics) and prepare a report summarizing findings and recommendations, to be submitted to the State Legislature by January 1, 2026.
To inform the work of the CTC as it relates to SB 251, this project will produce a Vehicle Weight Safety Study Academic Report summarizing trends of road user injuries and fatalities in California and potential factors contributing to these trends; documentation of policy solutions to address California road user injuries and fatalities; a discussion of how a passenger vehicle weight fee might change consumer behavior; and an analysis of the relationship between passenger vehicle weight and degradation of road infrastructure.
