NEWS RELEASE - Beverly Hills Police Department Receives Traffic Safety Grant
The Beverly Hills Police Department has been awarded a $115,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The grant will allow the Department to implement a one-year program of special traffic enforcement and public traffic safety awareness. Beverly Hills Police Department officers believe this will enable them to reduce and prevent injuries and deaths that result from traffic collisions.
In 2010, traffic deaths dropped to a historic low and in 2015, the number of persons killed on roadways climbed nearly 17 percent across the state, with 3,429 fatalities in 2015. Particularly alarming is the rise in pedestrian and bicycle rider fatalities that now comprise nearly 25 percent of all traffic deaths. Contributing factors to this alarming statistic are drivers who are distracted as a result of technology and drivers who are impaired by alcohol and or drugs. This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as speeding and collisions at intersections.
According to OTS Director, Rhonda Craft, “Unsafe behaviors account for 94 percent of traffic crashes,” and “This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors – education and enforcement”. Beverly Hills Police Department, will use the grant money to help keep Beverly Hills streets safe by conducting:
• Educational presentations
• DUI checkpoints
• 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
The Beverly Hills Police Department and OTS emphasize that driving under the influence is a very dangerous and unsafe activity. Driving under the influence doesn’t just mean alcohol - prescription medications and other drugs, including some prescription medications, can make a driver impaired and can result in a DUI arrest.
Funding for this program was made possible by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
