New Grants to Promote Traffic Safety Announced

ELK GROVE, Calif., June 29 -- The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) today announced the award of $82 million in traffic safety grants to 203 agencies and communities across the state, building upon the commitment that has resulted in recent dramatic declines in deaths and injuries on California's roadways.

The funds, which come from federal sources, will be administered by the Office of Traffic Safety, a part of the State's Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. The grants will allow state, county and local agencies to continue the fight against impaired driving, encourage seat belt and child safety seat usage, enhance emergency medical service response, advance pedestrian and bicycle safety, and assist in the enforcement of traffic laws aimed at saving lives.

"These grants provide vital resources and strengthen our commitment to save lives and prevent injuries on California's roadways," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety.

Traffic fatalities have decreased dramatically in California the past two years, to levels not seen since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began gathering statistics in 1975. This is a direct result of enforcement, engineering, emergency medical services and education.

Much of the new grant activities will work toward keeping basic, tested practices operating during these times when cities and counties face cutbacks. There will be emphasis on sobriety checkpoints, high school education programs, and innovative strategies targeting repeat DUI offenders. All the activities undertaken as a result of grant funding are directly tied to the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan adopted in 2006.

At the same time, extra efforts will go toward targeting serious DUI offenders with programs that increase the number of DUI-only courts, coordinated DUI prosecution teams, and increased training for DUI prosecutors across the state. In addition, many more rural counties will be receiving specialized traffic collision database systems.

"We are very encouraged by the progress we have made in just the last two years," said Murphy. "Seat belt usage is up over 95 percent. Deaths in most categories are sharply down. But it is only through the steady implementation of all these efforts that we have arrived here. We can't let up in our goal of zero deaths."

In an effort to help stem the increasing number of motorcycle deaths and injuries, local police departments will conduct enhanced enforcement of DUI and speed laws aimed at motorcycle riders. Grants will fund activities to fight DUI and other dangerous driving by high school and college students, provide assistance for underserved communities in the use of child safety seats, and keep highway workers safe through the "Slow for the Cone Zone" campaign.

Today's announcement includes grants to nine regions of the state. Summaries of the awards can be found on the OTS website at List of 2010 Grantees by Region.

CONTACT: Chris Cochran of the California Office of Traffic Safety, +1-916-509-3063, ccochran@ots.ca.gov

Web Site: https://www.ots.ca.gov/.