Merced police awarded two traffic-safety grants

Two state grants awarded to the Merced Police Department aim to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries, particularly those related to impaired driving.

Both grants, awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, were announced this week in a news release by the Police Department.

Merced police received $102,983 to administer as part of the countywide “Avoid the 11” traffic-safety enforcement program. All 11 county law enforcement agencies participate in various parts of the program, which includes special traffic patrols, education campaigns during holidays and drunken-driving checkpoints, the department said in the release.

“Crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough,” police said in the statement.

Officers said impaired driving remains the No. 1 factor in fatal traffic collisions in California, claiming 802 lives statewide in 2012, the most recent year for which data is available.

“Additionally, funding will target the ‘worst of the worst’ repeat DUI offenders with Warrant/Probation Sweeps and Court Sting Enforcement Operations focusing on DUI offenders who leave court hearings and drive away on suspended licenses after being ordered not to drive by a judge,” police said in the statement.

Merced police also received $77,857 in a second grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety aimed at improving traffic safety in general.

“The grant will assist in efforts to deal with traffic safety problems and to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions,” police said in the release. Funded activities include:

▪ DUI saturation patrols.

▪ Motorcycle safety enforcement.

▪ Distracted driving enforcement.

▪ Speed enforcement.

▪ Warrant service operations targeting multiple DUI offenders.

▪ Court “sting” operations to cite individuals driving from court after having their driver’s license suspended or revoked for drunk driving.

▪ Stakeout operations to observe the “worst of the worst,” repeat DUI offender probationers with suspended or revoked driver’s licenses.

▪ Assemblies at local high schools teaching students of the attention and focus that is needed while behind the steering wheel.

This story was originally published December 1, 2014 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Merced police awarded two traffic-safety grants."