Speed and aggressive driving continue to be a major concern on California roadways. Federal funding awarded to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will help implement safety measures to reduce dangerous driving behaviors statewide.
The $2.5 million Speed Prevention, Education and Enforcement Deterrence (SPEED II) grant aims to reduce the number of fatal and injury crashes related to speed and the number of victims killed and injured in these crashes. To achieve this, the CHP will deploy enhanced enforcement and public awareness campaigns statewide.
Speeding and aggressive driving behaviors are a significant danger to the motoring public, pedestrians, and individuals using alternate forms of transportation. In federal fiscal year 2021-2022, speed was a factor in nearly 40 percent of all fatal and injury crashes in California. During this period, there were in excess of 28,000 speed-related crashes, resulting in over 400 deaths and more than 42,000 injuries.
“The receipt of this grant will enable the CHP to reinforce our commitment to road safety,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Through a combination of proactive enforcement and community education, we aim to eliminate the threat of speed and aggressive driving, while making our roads safer for everyone.”
During April 2021 to July 2023, the CHP used federal funding to employ educational and enforcement efforts to combat dangerous driving behaviors. The federal funding allowed the CHP to conduct enhanced speed enforcement operations on state routes with increasingly speed related incidents. During this period, the CHP issued over 48,000 citations to motorists exceeding 100 miles per hour; collaborated with allied law enforcement agencies and posted anti-speeding and aggressive driving behavior ads on social media.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide safety, service, and security.
