MBPD Receives $80,000 Traffic Safety Grant
Oct 09, 2020 09:58AM ● By Mb News Staff
The Manhattan Beach Police Department has received an $80,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a one-year enforcement and education program. The money will fund various activities intended to reduce deaths and
injuries on California roads.
The grant-related activities are for the 2021 federal fiscal year, which runs from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021.
The funding from the OTS will be 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.
- Officer training to identify suspected impaired drivers and conduct sobriety tests.
“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.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Safe driving has been in the news and on the minds of Manhattan Beach residents, with "Chewie Strong" signs all over town reminding drivers to slow down.
