BEVERLY HILLS—The Beverly Hills Police Department was awarded a $115,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). In a press release Canyon News received from the BHPD, the grant will allow the Department to implement a one-year program of special traffic enforcement and public traffic safety awareness. Officers from the BHPD believe the grant will allow them to reduce and prevent injuries and deaths that result from traffic collisions.
In 2010, traffic deaths dropped to a historic low, but in 2015, the number of people killed on roadways rose nearly 17 percent across the state of California, with a total of 3,429 fatalities. Alarming is the rise in both pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities that now consist of nearly 25 percent of all traffic deaths. Contributing factors to this statistic are motorists who are distracted, as a result of technology and drivers who are impaired because of the use of alcohol and or drugs. The grant will provide opportunities to combat these and other problems, such as speeding and collisions at intersections.
According to OTS Director, Rhonda Craft, “Unsafe behaviors account for 94 percent of traffic crashes,” and “This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors – education and enforcement.” The BHPD will use the grant money to help keep Beverly Hills streets safe by conducting:
• Educational presentations
• DUI checkpoints
• DUI saturation patrols
• Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement
• Motorcycle safety enforcement
• Distracted driving enforcement
• Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement
• Speed, red light, and stop sign enforcement
The Beverly Hills Police Department and OTS stress that driving under the influence is dangerous and unsafe activity, including prescription medications and other drugs; some that can make a driver impaired and can result in a DUI arrest.
Funding for this program was made possible by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
