By Lookout Staff

November 22, 2013 -- The Santa Monica Police Department has received two grants totaling $185,000 to help reduce traffic collisions in the bayside city.

The largest of the two grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) -- $140,000 – will fund a year-long program aimed at reducing collisions involving motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, distracted drivers and motorcyclists.

Santa Monica Police also will boost their efforts to combat impaired driving with a new $45,000 Special DUI Checkpoint grant.

The DUI Checkpoint grant “will specifically target impaired driving offenders as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving,” said Sgt. Jay Moroso, the police department spokesman.

“When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving,” he said.

Despite a 39 percent decrease between 2006 and 2010 in California, traffic deaths rose by 2.6 percent in 2011, according to State officials. Recent trends show increases in two new categories -- distracted driving and drug-impaired driving.

Accidents involving DUI drivers account for nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities, making up the primary cause of traffic deaths, according to State officials.

In 2011, 774 people were killed and over 24,000 injured in alcohol and drug-impaired crashes in California.

“Checkpoints have proven to be the most effective of any of the DUI enforcement strategies,” Moroso said.

Crashes involving alcohol have been shown to drop by as much as 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough, according to State officials.

Checkpoints yield cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent and are supported by nearly 90 percent of California drivers, officials said.

Funding for the programs come from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.