Yuba City Police get aided with safety boost

The Yuba City Police Department won a $92,500 grant to use for taking measures hoped to reduce deaths and injuries on city streets.

The California Office of Traffic Safety grant was announced Wednesday by Sgt. Kim Slade.

“These are trying times, and now more than ever, it is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety,” Slade said in the news release. “This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents.”

The one-year grant runs from Oct. 1,

2020, to Sept. 30, 2021. It will fund a variety of programs, including:

-- Patrols with emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention.

-- Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phone law.

-- Patrols with emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.

-- Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes: excess speed, failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals, improper turning/lane changes.

-- Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian

safety.

-- Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.

-- Officer training and/or recertification for standard field sobriety test, advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement; and drug recognition expert.

The OTS awarded the funding through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.