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Press Release

GOVERNOR DAVIS TO AWARD $80.3 MILLION IN GRANTS
TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC SAFETY IN CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES – After participating in a traffic safety training rodeo today at Arlington Heights Elementary School in East Los Angeles, the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency Secretary, Maria Contreras-Sweet, awarded $80.3 million in federal highway safety grants to communities throughout California. The grants will be administered by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to help improve the quality of life by increasing safety on the area’s streets and highways.

The 277 grants will provide support for a variety of traffic safety programs including driving-under-the-influence prevention occupant protection, roadway safety, bicycle/pedestrian safety and emergency medical services.

In Los Angeles, examples of grants include a coalition of 30 police agencies, “Avid the 50,” who will conduct a year-long crackdown on drinking drivers through sobriety checkpoints and educational activities aimed at new drivers. In addition, the Pasadena Safe Communities Coalition will distribute child passenger safety seats and bicycle helmets to low income families.

“Make Children Traffic Safe,” the first OTS grant to be announced, will provide bicycle helmets to 100,000 financially challenged students in 125 elementary schools throughout Los Angeles. The grant will also train parents on proper helmet selection and fitting, as well as offer safety guidelines for pedestrians.

The Secretary, acting on behalf of Governor Davis, personally assisted in the distribution of the first 100,000 bicycle helmets.

“Traffic safety permeates every aspect of life in our state. Californians rank it as a top quality of life concern with education, crime and environment. Through these grants, every man, woman and child in California will be provided a safer community in which to live,” said Secretary Contreras-Sweet.

Additional grants include the Sacramento Department of Health Services’ Child Passenger Safety Program, the San Francisco pedestrian Safety Program, and the Santa Clara County Fire Department’s Operation Outreach campaign designed to educate high school students on the effects of drugs and alcohol.

Secretary Contreras-Sweet said that in addition to community-based grant goals, Governor Davis’ overarching goal is to lower California’s mileage death rate (MDR) to 1.0 by 2001. California’s current MDR of 1.19 is one of the best in the nation. MDR indicates the number of fatalities per 100 million miles driven.

For further information regarding OTS’s programs, check the OTS web site, www.ots.ca.gov.

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