Beverly Hills Police Awarded Traffic Safety Grant
Posted by Krystle Hudson on Nov 15, 2011 - 10:48:13 PM
The Beverly Hills Police combat fatalities with traffic grant. Photo courtesy of city's official website.
BEVERLY HILLS—The Beverly Hills Police Department has been awarded a traffic safety grant to go toward a year-long program geared at preventing DUIs, fatalities caused by drivers under the influence and injuries on roadways. The grant, which amounts to $140,000, was awarded by the Office of Traffic Safety.
BHPD Sergeant Mike Foxen states that the city must apply for the grant each year. “You must submit the statistics that show the need for the grant. You send the traffic accident rate information to the state that develops the information. Next they decide what cities will be awarded the grant and how much they are going to give,” said Foxen in an interview with Canyon News.
The purpose of this grant is to assist in efforts to reduce the traffic safety problems and the number of people killed and injured in traffic collisions, stated BHPD Lieutenant Shan Davis.
Director of the Office of Traffic Safety Christopher J. Murphy says traffic fatalities are at a low. “Thanks to the dedicated hard work of agencies like the Beverly Hills Department, California has the fewest traffic fatalities since 1994,” said Murphy. “While this is good news, we know that only by keeping the pressure on through enforcement and public awareness can we hope to sustain these declines and save lives,” added Murphy.
The DUI/driver’s license checkpoints are key components to the grant and helps lower the chances of drunk driving crashes. “We put out there in the news that we’re going to have the checkpoints, it raises awareness to the public. Just by people seeing the checkpoints let them know we’re out there,” said Foxen. “That deterrent is the primary objective that we’re looking for. To prevent people from thinking about drunk driving in the first place."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most effective results of all DUI strategies. Beverly Hills Police officers will be conducting special enforcement efforts during the next 12 months. Additional officers will patrol high-risk areas where they believe most fatal incidents occur. Last year, 353 motorcyclists were killed, a 37 percent drop from a record high for California in 2008.
The next DUI/driver’s license checkpoint will be held on Friday, November 18 at westbound Sunset Boulevard at Alta Drive. The time of this operation will be from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Foxen has hopes that people will think twice before they drink and drive. “I’d just like to see our drunk driver rates go down and accidents involving drunk driving reduced,” said Foxen. “Also the recognition that drunk driving won’t be tolerated and people will think twice before they decide to get in the car."
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