Santa Ana receives more state funding for DUI checkpoints and traffic enforcement

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SANTA ANA POLICE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES GRANT FOR SPECIAL TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AND CRASH PREVENTION

The Santa Ana Police Department has been awarded a $343,480.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic-related deaths and injuries. The Santa Ana Police Department will use the funding as part of the City’s ongoing commitment to keep our roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education.

“The Santa Ana Police Department is committed to traffic safety and doing everything within our power to ensure the roadways are safe for drivers and pedestrians. In fact, traffic safety is a major component of the City’s Strategic Plan and substantial efforts have been made in this area as we engage internal and external stakeholders on this issue. Working in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), this grant will allow the Santa Ana Police Department to dedicate the necessary resources to target violations that contribute to dangerous driving conditions through education and enforcement, which will help meet our strategic goals to enhance the lives of our residents as well as visitors to Santa Ana.” — Chief Carlos Rojas

After falling dramatically between 2006 and 2010, the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions has been slowly rising. Particularly alarming are recent increases in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, the growing dangers of distracting technologies, and the emergence of drug-impaired driving as a major problem. This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as drunk driving, speeding, and crashes at intersections.

“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. The Office of Traffic Safety and the Santa Ana Police Department want to work with everyone to create a culture of traffic safety across Santa Ana and the State.”

Activities that the grant will fund include:

• Educational presentations
• DUI checkpoints
• DUI saturation patrols
• Motorcycle safety enforcement
• Distracted driving enforcement
• Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement
• Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement
• Speed, red light, and stop sign enforcement
• Compilation of DUI “Hot Sheets” identifying worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders.
• Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE)

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

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