The Claremont Police Department recently received a $118,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to support its ongoing efforts to reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on the city’s roadways.

“This funding will strengthen our commitment to public safety in our community,” Claremont Police Chief Aaron Fate said in a news release. “We will be able to increase our efforts in making our roads safer for everyone and focus on critical areas such as distracted driving, impaired driving and speeding.”

The police plan to use the money for targeted enforcement patrols including those to identify and arrest impaired drivers; locate distracted drivers and those not adhering to the hands-free cell phone law; focus on violations that cause crashes, such as speeding and running red lights; target driver behavior that puts bicyclists and pedestrians at risk; and look for modified vehicle and street racers and conduct DUI checkpoints.

Some of the funding will enhance safety educational presentations on distracted driving, DUI, speeding, and bicycle and pedestrian safety.

Lastly CPD will also use the money on officer training in standardized field sobriety testing and getting officers certified as drug impairment recognition experts.

The grant program will run through September 2024.