Los Angeles: More DUI enforcement and safer streets are coming to Los Angeles. Increased special impaired driving enforcement measures are on tap this holiday season and throughout the next year as a result of a recent $295,200 grant awarded by the Office of Traffic Safety to the Los Angeles Police Department (Department). The Department is dedicated to keeping our roadways safe through both enforcement and education.
The special grant is to assist in efforts to deal with increased impaired driving problems and reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and drug related traffic collisions. Last year, 1,597 people were killed and over 31,000 injured in California in drug and alcohol related crashes.
The grant activities will specifically target driving under the influence (DUI) offenders and drivers with suspended or revoked licenses. This will be done through the use of checkpoints set up to screen for drivers who may be impaired or operating without a valid drivers license. Checkpoints have been shown to significantly reduce DUI fatalities when utilized aggressively and consistently. The most positive aspects of sobriety checkpoints are their ability to increase public awareness, to prevent impaired driving in the first place, and to encourage designating a sober driver.
"When more people drive sober and safely, lives are saved. It’s just that simple," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety. "This grant will help make Los Angeles just that much safer of a place to live and work."
Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If you have any questions regarding this press release, please contact Officer Don Inman, Traffic Coordination Section, Emergency Operations Division, at 213-847-1624.
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