Arnold Schwarzenegger
California State Governor

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the award of $66 million in traffic safety grants to 153 agencies and communities across the state, illustrating the Governor’s continued commitment to saving lives on California’s roadways. The funds will be administered by the Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and will allow state, county and local agencies to combat impaired driving, encourage seat belt and child safety seat usage, enhance emergency medical service response, advance pedestrian and bicycle safety, and assist in the enforcement of traffic laws aimed at saving lives.

“These grants provide essential resources and re-enforce our commitment to saving lives and preventing injuries on California’s roadways,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

In the coming year, the federally funded grant programs will emphasize time-tested practices with proven results while also expanding into new areas. Local and state agencies will develop and carry out grant activities through operations like sobriety checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, red light running enforcement and combating illegal street racing.

Important behind-the-scenes programs will also take place, such as the expansion of DUI prosecutor education, intense monitoring and supervision of repeat DUI offenders, free assessments of pedestrian safety conditions in cities, and more real DUI trials being moved from courthouses into high school auditoriums across the state.

“We have come a long way in California in the last five years,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety. “The number of people buckling up has grown by 1.1 million and the number of injuries has dropped to the lowest level in 24 years. But each needless death or injury points to the continued need for the enforcement and education provided by these grants.”

Today’s announcement includes grants to eight regions of the state. Summaries of the awards can be found at www.ots.ca.gov.

Fast facts:

· In 2006, 4,195 people died and 277,373 people were injured in California traffic collisions.

· Persons killed in alcohol involved collisions increased slightly from 1,769 in 2005 to 1,779 in 2006.

· California’s 2007 seat belt usage rate is 94.6%, which is significantly better than the national average of 81% and up from 93.4% in 2006.

· In 2006, about half—458 of the 917 unrestrained fatalities would be alive today had they simply buckled up.

· In 2006, teen fatalities decreased 6.7% from 527 to 492 – the lowest level since 2001.

· Motorcycle fatalities continued to spiral upward; from 469 in 2005 to 506 in 2006.

· Motorcycle fatalities have increased each year since 1998, when there were 204 fatalities.