Concord Police Dept. will use state grants to improve traffic safety

CONCORD, CA—The Police Department has received two grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) totaling $159,200. A $134,200 grant will assist in police efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Concord roads.

“These are trying times, and now more than ever, it is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety,” said Lt. Mark Robison. “This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents.”

The one-year grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, including:

• Patrols with emphasis on alcohol- and drug-impaired driving prevention.
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
• Patrols with emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes, such as excess speed, failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals and improper turning/lane changes.
• Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.
• Officer training and/or recertification on the Standard Field Sobriety Test, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and Drug Recognition Expert.

“Through education and behavior changes, we hope to create an environment that is safe and equitable for all road users in our community,” Robison said.

Meanwhile, the department will use a $25,000 grant to streamline processes to collect and report traffic data.

The state has targeted the one-year funds to develop a new, or update an existing, electronic crash reporting system with software that is able to submit data to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.

“Accurate and timely data is critical to the safety of our roads,” Robison said. “This funding will help paint a clearer picture of our biggest traffic safety issues.”

OTS director Barbara Rooney said this new program is an effort to improve how quickly crash data is collected and reported.
“That data is used to determine the nature of our road safety problems, and it informs our actions in how best to address them,” she said. “We are happy to provide local agencies with the necessary tools to develop or enhance their electronic traffic reporting systems.”