Oceanside CA— The Oceanside Police Department received a $340,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a one-year enforcement and education program. The money will fund various activities intended to reduce deaths and injuries on California roads.
Oceanside Police Chief McCoy stated, “Our community has seen far too many serious injury and Fatal collisions since 2017. Many could have been prevented by motorists slowing down, driving defensively, and avoiding the mixing of alcohol and motor vehicle operation. The Oceanside Police Department is grateful to receive this OTS grant to continue funding our safe driving initiatives. We also ask for the assistance of the public in helping to keep our roadways safe by avoiding risky behaviors while operating motor vehicles such as speeding, engaging aggressive maneuvers, and driving while intoxicated.”
The grant-related activities are for the 2020 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2020.
The funding from the OTS will be used for numerous programs, including:

• DUI/driver’s license checkpoints.
• Patrols specifically looking for suspected alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers.
• Patrols targeting violations of California’s hands-free cell phone law and vehicle code violations by drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians that put other roadway users at risk.
• Patrols targeting the primary causes of crashes: Speeding, improper turns, running stop signs or signals, right-of-way violations and driving on the wrong side of the road.
• Traffic safety education on Motorcycle Safety and Driving Under the Influence.
• Creating “Hot Sheets” identifying repeat DUI offenders.
• Officer training to identify suspected impaired drivers and conduct sobriety tests.

“Getting in a vehicle remains one of the most dangerous things we do,” OTS director Barbara Rooney said. “We must continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to shift that realization and make traveling on our roads safer.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.