by Steven Felschundneff | steven@claremont-courier.com

Claremont police have received a $108,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to be used in the department’s efforts to reduce deaths and injuries due to crashes on Claremont roads, according to a news release on Monday.

“These are trying times, and now more than ever, it is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety. Traffic safety continues to be a priority for our agency and for the community. This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents,” Claremont Police Chief Shelly Vander Veen said.

The one-year grant is for the fiscal year 2021 which runs from October 1, 2020 until September 2121.

The grant will fund a wide variety of traffic safety programs including: DUI checkpoints, community education presentations on traffic safety and officer training and recertification.

It will also enhance police patrols that emphasize alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention, education on California’s hands-free cell phone law, and awareness and education about primary causes of crashes, including excessive speed and failure to stop at stop signs or signals.

The money will also be used to educate the public on traffic rights for pedestrians and bicyclists, which is timely given the cyclist fatality on Mills Avenue last Friday.

“Through education and behavior changes, we hope to create an environment that is safe and equitable for all road users in our community,” Chief Vander Veen said.