The Sacramento Police Department has been awarded a grant totaling $170,000 from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways through education, training, and special enforcement efforts around the schools located within the City of Sacramento. The grant will aid in the city’s ongoing effort to improve traffic safety and the quality of life in and around our children’s schools.  The Sacramento Police Department will use the funding as part of an on-going commitment to keep the roadways around our schools safe through education, training and enforcement.

Activities that the grant will fund include:

·         Conduct bicycle helmet usage surveys of our schools and implement incentive programs to increase helmet use, including proper fitting and distribution of bicycle helmets

·         Conduct bicycle safety training through presentations and bicycle rodeos at the schools

·         Conduct pedestrian safety training through presentations and distribution of educational materials at the schools

·         Seat belt and child safety seat education and training

·         Help establish and maintain comprehensive public education programs to reduce pedestrian and bicycle involved collisions including a partnership with Sacramento Safe Routes to School

·         Conduct traffic enforcement around the schools when needed; enforcing  speed, distracted driving and other hazardous moving violations associated with pedestrian and bicycle collisions

·         Increase teen driver education programs including Start Smart, Every 15 Minutes and Impact Teen Drivers.

·         Conduct traffic enforcement patrols looking for underage drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.