$440,000 grant to be used for DUI enforcement, checkpoints

SAN DIEGO – The California Office of Traffic Safety has awarded the San Diego County Sheriff's Department a $440,000 grant that will fund a year's worth of special operations and campaigns designed to stop drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The grant includes funds for:

• DUI checkpoints and patrols specifically focused on suspected impaired drivers.

• Enforcement operations focused on suspected distracted drivers in violation of California's hands-free cell phone law.

• Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operations focused on driver behaviors that put vulnerable road users at risk.

• Enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes.

• Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speeding, and bicycle and pedestrian safety.

• Collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies.

• Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and Drug Recognition Expert.

"We are proud to continue our partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety," said Sheriff Bill Gore. "This grant will make it possible for the Sheriff's Department to raise awareness about driving safety and help keep our communities safe."

The goal is to reduce impaired driving-related crashes and deaths in our region.

So far in 2021, more than 5,300 people have been arrested for impaired driving in San Diego County. Nearly 700 of those arrests have been made by Sheriff's Deputies.

Submitted by the San Diego County's Sheriff's Department.