The California Office of Traffic Safety has awarded Glendale a $225,000 grant to provide additional enforcement measures to combat impaired driving. This is the second traffic safety grant for an anti-DUI program awarded to Glendale in two months. The Glendale Police Dept. is dedicated to keeping local streets safe through both enforcement and education.

“A DUI collision resulting in injury or death is no way to start the holidays. During the excitement and festivities of this season, it is crucial to have a designated driver to maintain safety on our roadways,” said Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa.

The DUI Checkpoint grant supports efforts to reduce the number of persons injured or killed in alcohol and drug related collisions. The grant will specifically target impaired driving offenders as well as educating the public on the dangers of impaired driving through the use of DUI/driver’s license checkpoints. Specially trained officers will evaluate those suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.

Drunk and drugged driving are among America’s deadliest crimes. In 2010, 791 people were killed and over 24,000 injured in alcohol and drug-impaired collisions in California. In 2010, Glendale experienced one death and 24 injuries in these tragic collisions. Impaired driving collisions drop by an average of 20% when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted. Checkpoints have proven to be the most effective of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.

“DUI checkpoints have been an essential part of the phenomenal reduction in DUI deaths that we witnessed from 2006 to 2010 in California,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the Office of Traffic Safety. “But since the tragedy of DUI accounts for nearly one-third of traffic fatalities, Glendale needs the high visibility enforcement and public awareness that this grant will provide.”

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.