Police: Grant Will Reduce DUI Deaths and Injuries

A new traffic safety grant will help the Laguna Beach Police Department target DUI drivers and hopefully make the roadways safer for motorists, police reported Tuesday.

The $33,199 grant was awarded to the Laguna Beach Police Department by the California Office of Traffic Safety for an anti-DUI program aimed at reducing the number of people killed and injured in alcohol and other drug related crashes on Laguna Beach roadways.

The grant activities will specifically target impaired driving offenders as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.

Authorities reported drunk and drugged drivers are among America’s deadliest crimes. In 2011, 774 people were killed and over 24,000 injured in alcohol and drug-impaired crashes in California. In 2011 in Laguna Beach the city experienced 16 serious injuries in tragic crashes.

Officials said crashes involving alcohol have been shown to drop by up to 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.

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