Tuning in to Safety : Broadcasts: CHP’s <i> El Protector </i> radio talk-show program helps teach Spanish-speaking drivers the rules of the road.

The Spanish-speaking caller on KOXR radio was upset about a ticket.

Why, he asked California Highway Patrolman Ernie Sanchez, did he receive a ticket for having an open bottle in his car when it was a passenger who was doing the drinking?

“He had in his mind the idea that if you’re not driving, it’s perfectly OK to drink,” said Sanchez, who quickly dispelled that notion. “A lot of people migrate here, and they’re not really aware of the laws of the area.”

Sanchez is one of three bilingual officers involved in the CHP’s El Protector program, giving highway safety tips to Latinos and explaining technicalities of the law.

For two years, the program has taken CHP officers out of their squad cars and into the studios of local Spanish-language radio stations.

Three Spanish-language stations in Oxnard, KOXR-AM, KXLM-FM and KTRO-AM, host talk shows that highlight El Protector . This month, the program will begin airing on KMRO-FM, a Christian radio station in Camarillo.

A constant theme of the shows is “ Abrochese el cinturon ,” which means “fasten your seat belt.” Officers spend most of their time on the radio answering questions about changes in the state’s drunk-driving laws and assisting callers with simple questions about traffic tickets.

“The Hispanic population really needs some questions answered,” said Ed Beserra Jr., a CHP officer who coordinates the El Protector program. “We try to use local officers. They see them where the rubber hits the road.”

More than one out of every four people in Ventura County is Latino, with concentrations of non-English-speaking Mexicans and Central and South Americans in Oxnard and Santa Paula.

Beserra said the number of Latino drivers who have died because they were not wearing belts illustrates the need for a show that promotes safety tips.

In a 22-month period ending in October, 26 Latinos were killed in car accidents in Ventura County. Seven of 14 male victims died after they were ejected from their cars, Beserra said. None of the 12 female victims were ejected from their cars.

In their Spanish-language radio addresses, the officers emphasize the importance of wearing seat belts. They also point out that beginning in January, a new law takes effect requiring drivers to wear seat belts or risk getting pulled over and ticketed.

The El Protector program began seven years ago in the San Joaquin Valley after CHP Officer Jorge Chaidez noticed that a large number of Latino motorists were being arrested for drunk driving.

So Chaidez began promoting Spanish-language traffic safety tips and developing the El Protector mascot, a mustachioed man sporting sunglasses, jeans and a dark jacket.

Surveys taken after the program began showed a 30% decline in the number of drunk-driving accidents and arrests involving Latinos, Chaidez said. Similar figures were unavailable for Ventura County, but officials hope to achieve the same results here.

CHP officers say the popularity of the El Protector mascot has taken on celebrity proportions.

At public appearances where a CHP officer shows up in dark glasses and jeans playing the role of El Protector , children and adults will usually gather around.

The distinctly Latino image imprinted on plastic mugs, key chains and T-shirts distributed by CHP officers is not a professional model or a celebrity. Instead, Chaidez selected a fellow officer, Roy Huerta, as the depicted hero.

“Being Hispanic myself, born in Mexico and being a migrant worker at one time, what I felt we needed was a role model. My idea was not to use an Eric Estrada,” Chaidez said, referring to the Latino actor whose fame originated from his role on the 1970s television show “CHiPs.” “We needed someone from the Highway Patrol.”

The El Protector program now stretches from Sacramento to San Diego.

Armando Garcia, who works with migrant workers through El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, said he believes the program has been useful. “Mexicans have a different way of interpreting the laws,” he said. “I think it’s useful.”

In Ventura County, the three bilingual officers take to the airwaves almost each week to answer questions.

“Radio is our most productive tool to get the message out,” Beserra said. Latinos “spend more time working or doing other chores. It’s more convenient to listen to the radio.”

On a recent night at KOXR, CHP Officers Sanchez and Jorge Orozco sat across from radio talk-show host Javier Santana, warming up for the calls.

“What if a father and a mother are driving with a child who doesn’t have a seat belt. Who’s at fault?” Santana asked.

“The parents,” Orozco answered.

“And if the parents aren’t there?” Santana asked.

“The driver,” Orozco said.

Santana opened the show to questions and after about 15 minutes, the board lit up with four calls waiting. The show ended about an hour later, after the officers fielded about a dozen calls.

The talk-show host said the El Protector show is very popular. “They give out good, bona fide information,” Santana said.

Many of the questions Orozco and Sanchez fielded from women callers were about car seats and safety belts.

Men requested information on how much liquor it would take to be considered legally drunk and whether a driver should obey the CHP’s request to stop by pulling immediately off the highway or waiting until the nearest exit.

On almost every show, Orozco explains drunk-driving laws, and the differences between the legal limits of being under the influence of alcohol and being intoxicated.

Beserra said the CHP is planning to expand the program to include other law enforcement agencies under a $1.15-million grant that the CHP has received from the state Office of Traffic Safety to reach growing Latino communities.

Beserra said he has already discussed including representatives from the Oxnard and Santa Paula police departments.

“It would mean more officers doing this, more interaction on a day-to-day basis” with the Latino community, he said. “And the only way people learn is through education.”