Colton City Council accepts Office of Traffic Safety Grant Award to reduce traffic collisions

On Tuesday, October 1, Colton City Council approved the fiscal year 2019-20 office of traffic safety grant award.

The Office of Traffic Safety is California’s lead traffic safety agency…advocating on behalf of and generating traffic safety programs to improve the safety around the state, including the city of Colton.

“Using federal highway safety program funds, it is the mission of OTS to provide funding for traffic programs to help reduce the number of deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from traffic related collisions,” said City Manager Bill Smith.

Colton city staff received the approval of the Office of Traffic Safety grant earlier this year and also found that the grant does not require any matching funds from the city.

“The city has experienced multiple traffic-related injury collisions throughout the years. The amount of DUI and speed related enforcement conducted is inversely proportional to the numbers of crimes and calls for service officers must handle,” said Chief of Police Mike Hadden.

“The city of Colton has an abundance of establishments where alcohol is served or sold and the number of DUI drivers has not diminished. In addition, speed-related issues are amongst the majority of complaints received from the community,” continued Hadden.

The Office of Traffic Safety grant is worth $175,000, and it will provide numerous traffic enforcement programs for the city and members of the community.

“These programs include DUI checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, distracted driving enforcement operations, night time “Click it or Ticket” programs, and pedestrian safety enforcement operations. The OTS grant has also provided for training and educational materials, as well as equipment, to assist officers in increasing traffic safety and reducing alcohol related traffic incidents,” concluded Hadden. For more information, visit coltononline.com.