Educating youths on safe driving
It breaks Officer Jodie Beck’s heart when she arrives at the scene of a traffic accident involving children, more so now than in the beginning of her career. Because she’s a mother.
Beck has been with the California Highway Patrol for 15 years, she has been a mother for 11 of those years.
“I think it’s just going to a scene with young children or young adults, it just breaks my heart because when you become a mom, or parent, it becomes more personal,” Beck said.
She said motherhood has made her want to educate and inform youth about highways dangers, such as driving under the influence, seat belt safety and speeding.
“Definitely after you have a child things change and you want to protect all (children),” Beck said. “It just bothers me that people don’t protect children like they should.”
Beck and two other CHP officers are part of a community outreach program, which began in 2015. While Beck has been limited to desk duty due to a non-work related injury, Officer Gregory Gomez has been filling in at events around the YubaSutter area.
“She has so much on her plate, I wanted to help her out,” Gomez said. “I love working with the kids, I really do.”
Gomez, also a parent, said the educational programs are also important to him for the same reason as Beck.
“It’s very important for us to wriggle our way in there and make an impact on their lives to make sure they’re making the right decisions,” he said.
There has been an uptick in driving under the influence and speeding around Yuba-Sutter in 2017, she said. But more of the drivers are above the 18-24 age group, which gives her hope the programs are working, Beck said.
“I like to think that all our educational programs in the schools are working,” she said. “I love going into the schools and working with kids and high schoolers.”
The speeding, she said, might be because of a less patient youth addicted to technology.
“I don’t know if it’s just people are always in hurry,” she said. “Everything is instantaneous now.”
Beck said there is a mentality of “go-with-theflow” driving in California, but the speed limit for freeways is always 65 miles per hour, and 55 miles per hour on twolane highways.
Metropolitan areas see more property crime, whereas in Yuba-Sutter there are more accidents that require CHP attention.
“We have some big collisions with major injuries and fatalities,” she said. “I think the cases are almost worse if (the victim) is younger.”
Capt. Shon Harris, who oversees the Yuba-Sutter CHP office, said Beck exceeds his expectations.
“She is definitely a family-oriented person and she is active in being engaged in the community,” Harris said. “Her motivation comes from the heart. I really respect her for that, not only as an employee of the California Highway Patrol but as a person.”