The California Highway Patrol is stepping up enforcement along
county roads, especially in areas such as Ridgemark, which has seen
a recent increase in accidents.
The California Highway Patrol is stepping up enforcement along county roads, especially in areas such as Ridgemark, which has seen a recent increase in accidents.
Starting next week, the CHP will assign extra officers to patrol the county’s roadways. The increased patrols are funded by a grant from the state’s Office of Traffic Safety, which is paying for the increased duty hours.
The extra eyes on the road will be looking out for a variety of traffic violations, but officers will focus on the five that most often lead to car accidents – unsafe speed, driving under the influence, right-of-way violations, unsafe turning and stop sign violations.
Recently, the CHP placed an increased emphasis on traffic safety in the Ridgemark community because of a spate of accidents in and around the area that resulted in minor to moderate injuries and one death.
On a number of recent occasions, the CHP has made its presence known with patrol units parked in plain sight at well-traveled intersections. Many of the motorists stopped were educated on the nature of their violation and the safety risk it posed for them and others.
The special enforcement will continue through May with a new project named Removing Impaired Drivers, or RID. The program involves the deployment of extra officers on four-hour shifts who will specifically look for drunken or impaired drivers.
“Every year, citizens in our community are needlessly killed and injured on our roads,” CHP Capt. Bob Davies said.
He said the CHP’s goal is to reduce alcohol-related fatal and injury accidents.
“Our goal is to ensure safe passage of motorists by targeting roads where there is a high incidence of driving under the influence,” Davies said.
The RID program will include using roving patrols and sobriety checkpoints.
