Street Smarts is Created
The award-winning Street Smarts program was initially created in 2002 by the City of San José Department of Transportation and developed with input from local and national highway safety, law enforcement, and Department of Transportation resources. San Jose shared the program with other municipalities as a service to increase the program's effectiveness through brand-awareness. As a result, about 30 communities in Northern California have implemented Street Smarts to date, and many across California have adopted similar programs.
Marin Adopts Street Smarts
The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) brought Street Smarts to Marin in response to requests from local cities and towns for a traffic safety education program. In order to develop and pilot-test the program, TAM formed a Street Smarts Committee consisting of jurisdictional managers, public works, and police department representatives.
The committee identified the following top five “bad behaviors” in Marin for focused outreach using input from local police departments, city and town management staff, Safe Routes to Schools committees, and the California Office of Traffic Safety statistics for Marin:
- Speeding
- Stopping (running red lights and stop signs)
- Distracted driving
- Crosswalk safety and compliance
- Bicyclist violations and bicyclist safety
The program was pilot-tested in 2008 and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. An evaluation of the Street Smarts Marin program was conducted in 2009. Based on community surveys, as well as feedback from participating jurisdictions, the results indicated widespread support for the program. As a result, the TAM board voted to expand the program to include additional jurisdictions. To download the report in full, see Resources.