Modesto police get grant for special traffic enforcement

A $298,500.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety will fund a yearlong Modesto Police Department program of special enforcement and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic-related deaths and injuries.

Activities the grant will fund include educational presentations, DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols, and enforcement of motorcycle safety, distracted driving, seat belts and child safety seats, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and violations including speeding and running red lights and stop signs.

The money also will cover specialized DUI and drugged-driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and Drug Recognition Evaluator.

After falling dramatically between 2006 and 2010, the number of people killed and injured in traffic collisions has been slowly rising, according to a news release from the Police Department. “Particularly alarming are recent increases in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, the growing dangers of distracting technologies, and the emergence of drug-impaired driving as a major problem,” reads the release from Officer Billy Boyle. “This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as drunk driving, speeding and crashes at intersections.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 7:57 AM with the headline "Modesto police get grant for special traffic enforcement."