“Why did I drink when I was drunk?”
The Ventura Police Department (VPD) was awarded a $220,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a one-year enforcement and education program with an emphasis on safe travel. This grant will assist in VPD’s efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Ventura roads.
“This grant funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of residents behind the wheel, on our sidewalks, and in our bike lanes,” said Ventura Police Sergeant, Michael Brown. “Through education and behavior changes, we hope to create an environment that is safe and equitable for all road users in our community.”
The grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, including:
- Patrol with an emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention.
- Patrol with an emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
- Patrol with an emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.
- Patrol with an emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes: excess speed, failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals, improper turning/lane changes.
- Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
- Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.
- Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired
- Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The one-year grant is for the 2021 federal fiscal year, which runs from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 20201.
To learn more about the Office of Traffic Safety grant and VPD’s educational efforts, please contact Emily Graves, Community Outreach Specialist for the Ventura Police Department, at [email protected].
