The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has awarded the Hollister Police department with a $70,000 grant for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.
The grant will provide opportunities to combat pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and other problems such as speeding and crashes at intersections. It will also be used to fund educational presentations, DUI checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, motorcycle safety enforcement, distracted driving enforcement and speed, red light, and stop sign enforcement.
According to a press release by the HPD, the number of persons killed on roadways has climbed nearly 17 percent across the state, with 3,429 fatalities in 2015, after falling to a 10 year low in 2010.
Along with creating community awareness programs against drunk driving, HPD also aims to drive awareness that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.”
“Prescription medications and marijuana can also be impairing by themselves, or in combination with alcohol, and can result in a DUI arrest,” said the press release.
According to OTS Director Rhonda Craft, “Unsafe behaviors account for 94 percent of traffic crashes.”
“This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors – education and enforcement. Hollister Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Traffic Safety, will use these tools to help keep Hollister’s streets safe,” Craft added.