Redwood City Police Department Receives Grant For Special Traffic Enforcement And Crash Prevention
Redwood City Police Department has been awarded a $296,000.00 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. Redwood City 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.
In response to the award, Interim Chief Kirby of the Redwood City Police Department stated, “Issues related to improved roadway safety and targeted enforcement for Driving Under the Influence of alcohol/drug (DUI) remains a primary interest for our community. Funding provided through the current OTS Grant provides our officers the opportunity to concentrate their education and enforcement activities in a manner consistent with the expectations of our community. We are grateful for our partnership with OTS because it will allow us to continue focusing efforts toward reducing traffic-related fatalities to zero.”
After falling to a ten year low in 2010, the number of persons killed on roadways has climbed nearly 17 percent across the state, with 3,429 fatalities in 2015. Particularly alarming is the rise in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities that now comprise nearly 25 percent of all traffic deaths, along with the growing dangers of distracting technologies and the emergence of drug-impaired driving. This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as speeding and crashes at intersections.
“Unsafe behaviors account for 94 percent of traffic crashes,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors – education and enforcement. Redwood City Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Traffic Safety, will use these tools to help keep Redwood City streets safe.”
Activities that the grant will fund include:
• Educational presentations
• DUI saturation patrols
• Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement
• Motorcycle safety enforcement
• Distracted driving enforcement
• Seat belt and child safety seat 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)
While alcohol remains the worst offender for DUI crashes, Redwood City Police Department supports the new effort from OTS that 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.
Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Address/Location
Redwood City Police Department
1301 Maple St
Redwood City, CA 94063
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 650-780-7100
Stephen Fine
Traffic Sergeant
[email protected]
650-780-7187