SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department and City TV has received a $57,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long, outreach campaign to foster public awareness in the prevention of pedestrian and bicyclists related deaths and injuries.

According to a press release from the SMPD, the funds will be dedicated to continue the city’s pledge to the US Department of Transportation “Mayor’s Challenge” for “safer people, safer streets.”

“It has been proven that an effective communications strategy when coupled with proactive enforcement efforts is exponentially more effective in bringing about awareness and promoting overall roadway safety,” said Chief of Police Jacqueline Seabrooks.

The California Office of Traffic Safety’s contribution will help Santa Monica move closer towards Vision Zero’s laudable goal of no crashes, no deaths and no injuries. The SMPD and City TV are collaborating with various stakeholders to determine effective ways to create a culture of traffic safety in our community. The importance of rolling out this multi-channel, public awareness campaign is heightened with the expected arrival of the Metro Expo Line into the city.

Available statistics from OTS for 2013 show that pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for nearly 30 percent of roadway fatalities in California. “Overall, California’s roadways are among the safest in the nation,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “But to meet future mobility, safety, and accessible transportation objectives, we have to reverse this recent trend in order to reach our common goal – zero deaths on our roadways.”