The California Office of Traffic Safety has awarded $70,000 to the Hollister Police Department for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.
The grant will fund educational presentations, DUI checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, motorcycle safety enforcement, distracted driving enforcement, speed enforcement, red light and stop sign enforcement.
“Unsafe behaviors account for 94 percent of traffic crashes,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Rhonda Craft said. “This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors— education and enforcement. Hollister Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Traffic Safety, will use these tools to help keep Hollister’s streets safe.”
The police department will use the funding as part of the City of Hollister’s aim to keep roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education.
While alcohol remains the primary cause of DUI crashes, the Hollister Police Department supports new efforts that aim to drive awareness that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Prescription medications and cannabis can also be impairing by themselves, or in combination with alcohol, which can result in a DUI arrest.
After falling to a 10-year low in 2010, the number of persons killed on roadways has climbed nearly 17 percent across California, with 3,429 fatalities in 2015. Pedestrian and bicycle fatalities now comprise nearly 25 percent of all traffic deaths. The grant will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as speeding and crashes at intersections.
