SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department was awarded a $280,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.

According to a press release from the SFPD, the funding will be used as part of San Francisco’s ongoing commitment to keep roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education. The number of persons killed on roadways rose nearly 17 percent across the state, with 3,429 fatalities in 2015. The region has seen a rise in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities that contribute to nearly 25 percent of all traffic deaths, along with the growing dangers of distracting technologies and the emergence of drug-impaired driving. The grant will provide opportunities to combat these and other problems such as speeding and crashes at intersections.

“Unsafe behaviors account for 94 percent of traffic crashes,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors – education and enforcement. The San Francisco Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Traffic Safety, will use these tools to help keep San Francisco streets safe.”

Activities that the grant will fund include:

-Educational presentations

-DUI checkpoints

-DUI saturation patrols

-Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement

Alcohol remains the worst offender for DUI crashes. The SFPD supports the new effort from OTS that aims to drive awareness that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Prescription medications and marijuana impair driving and in combination with alcohol can result in a DUI arrest. Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.