The State - News from Oct. 7, 1987

Alarmed by the high number of Latinos killed in traffic accidents in the San Joaquin Valley, the California Highway Patrol has sent seven bilingual CHP officers with reams of traffic safety brochures printed in Spanish into bars, grocery stores and churches in Mendota in western Fresno County. CHP officials said they hope the material will bring the area’s Latino population up to speed on the proper rules of the road. Almost half of the traffic fatalities in nine cities between Bakersfield and Merced involve Latinos, who make up roughly 21% of the valley’s population, officials said. In Mendota, Latinos were involved in 60% of the recent fatal traffic accidents in that area, the CHP said.