The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has awarded the Clovis Police Department a $70,000 grant for a one-year enforcement and education program. The funds are intended to be used for various activities to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on California roads.
“Getting in a vehicle remains one of the most dangerous things we do,” OTS director Barbara Rooney said. “We must continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to shift that realization and make traveling on our roads safer.”
The grant is effective for the 2020 federal fiscal year. The funding will used for numerous programs, including:
- DUI/driver’s license checkpoints.
- Patrols specifically looking for suspected alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers.
- Patrols targeting violations of California’s hands-free cell phone law and vehicle code violations by drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians that put other roadway users at risk.
- Patrols targeting the primary causes of crashes: Speeding, improper turns, running stop signs or signals, right-of-way violations and driving on the wrong side of the road.
- Patrols specifically looking for seat belt and child safety seat violations.
- Traffic safety education presentations for youth and community members on distracted and impaired driving, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
- Creating “Hot Sheets” identifying repeat DUI offenders.
- Officer training to identify suspected impaired drivers and conduct sobriety tests.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.