The Laguna Beach Police Department has received a special state grant to help
make the roadways safer, officials announced Thursday.
The $51,253 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety will be used for a year-long program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on the roadways in Laguna Beach through increased enforcement and education, police reported.
Traffic deaths from all causes declined by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010 in California, but they rose by 2.6 percent in 2011, according to state officials.
DUI deaths remain the largest sector, at nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities. Recent trends show increases in two new categories – distracted driving and drug-impaired driving.
The grant will fund the following activities in Laguna Beach:
• Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and Drug Recognition Evaluator
• DUI Saturation Patrols
• Distracted driving enforcement
• Speed, red light and stop sign enforcement
• Warrant service operations targeting multiple DUI offenders
• Compilation of DUI “Hot Sheets,” identifying worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders
• Stakeout operations to observe the “worst of the worst” repeat DUI offender probationers with suspended or revoked driver licenses
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