With the help of a $90,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the Redondo Beach Police Department will institute a yearlong program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on city streets, the department announced in a news release Tuesday.
The grant will fund specialized training to combat DUIs, saturation patrols; motorcycle safety enforcement; distracted driving enforcement; speed, red light and stop sign enforcement; warrant service operations targeting repeat DUI offenders; compilation of DUI "Hot Sheets" that identify the worst DUI offenders; and stakeout operations to observe repeat DUI offenders on probation with suspended or revoked driver's licenses, according to the news release.
According to police, state and federal officials anticipate a slight rise in the number of traffic fatalities in 2011. Traffic deaths from all causes decreased by nearly 39 percent in California between 2006 and 2010.
"Despite the recent increases, California's roadways are still very much safer than they were before 2006," OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy said in the release.
Nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities are related to driving under the influence, though recently distracted driving and drug-impaired driving deaths have been on the rise.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds the program through the OTS.
