More DUI & Motorcycle Safety Patrols, Stoplight Enforcement Coming to Elk Grove

Drivers in Elk Grove should expect to see more police looking for impaired or speeding drivers, unsafe motorcyclists and stoplight or stop sign violations.

The Elk Grove Police Department recently received a $90,000 state grant for traffic safety, officials announced Thursday.

More details follow in a press release from the department:

Elk Grove Police Department Receives Grant For Special Traffic Enforcement And Crash Prevention

ELK GROVE, CA – The Elk Grove Police Department has been awarded a $90,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways through special enforcement and public awareness efforts.  The grant received by Elk Grove will aid in the city’s ongoing effort to improve traffic safety and the quality of life.  The Elk Grove Police Department will use the funding as part of an on-going commitment to keep our roadways safe through both enforcement and education.

The grant will assist in efforts to deal with traffic safety problems and to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions.  While traffic deaths from all causes declined by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010 in California, state and federal officials anticipate that figures will show a slight rise in 2011.  DUI deaths remain the largest sector, at nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities.  Recent trends show increases in two new categories – distracted driving and drug-impaired driving.

Activities that the grant will fund include:

• Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE).
• DUI Saturation Patrols
• Motorcycle safety enforcement
• Speed, red light and stop sign enforcement

“Despite the recent increases, California’s roadways are still very much safer than they were before 2006,” said OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy.  “The Elk Grove Police Department will be keeping the pressure on through enforcement and public awareness so that we can continue saving lives andreach the vision we all share – Toward zero deaths, every 1 counts.”

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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