Pasadena Police Department Receives Grant for Special Traffic Enforcement and Crash Prevention

Pasadena Police Department has been awarded a $175,000.00 grant from the California Office of  Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways as a result of traffic accidents. The grant will fund special enforcement and public awareness efforts to aid in the city’s ongoing efforts to improve traffic safety, provide education programs, and enhance our quality of life through safer travel on the roadways.

While traffic deaths from all causes declined in California by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010, they rose 2.6 percent in 2011. State and federal officials anticipate that figures will show another rise for 2012 and the trend continues for 2013. DUI traffic related deaths remain the largest significant factor at nearly 30 percent. Additionally, recent trends show accidents related to two new categories, distracted driving and drug-impaired driving, are also on the rise.

Traffic safety ranks among the highest priorities of the Pasadena Police Department”, said Police Chief Phillip Sanchez, “Collisions have claimed seven lives in Pasadena this year and the programs sponsored with this grant will assist us in our goal of reducing collisions.”

Activities that the grant will fund include:

ï‚· Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE).

ï‚· DUI Saturation Patrols

ï‚· Motorcycle safety enforcement

ï‚· Distracted driving enforcement

ï‚· Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement

ï‚· Speed, red light and stop sign enforcement

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