9 Traffic Safety Projects Get $2.35 Million

Nine Orange County traffic safety projects ranging from a new blood alcohol test to a teen drunk-driving education program will receive an estimated $2.35 million in grants, a state agency announced Tuesday.

Officials from the Office of Traffic Safety said the programs are among 188 statewide receiving a total of $31 million in mostly federal funds. Orange County recipients include the following:

* A new alcohol breath test that can more accurately analyze the blood-alcohol level of a drunk-driving suspect during a traffic stop. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is the first in the nation to receive such a grant, which is worth about $400,000, the agency said.

* A teen drunk-driving awareness class in which high school students and their parents participate in a simulation of a fatal traffic accident, complete with ambulances and paramedics. The Orange County Department of Education will receive about $360,000 for the program.

* More than $500,000 for more drunk-driving and driver’s license checkpoints run by Costa Mesa and La Habra police as well as the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

* About $500,000 for a UC Irvine program that brings residents and city leaders together to solve traffic safety problems.

Cities and county organizations received funds based upon grant proposals they submitted to the Office of Traffic Safety. This year, the office will fund nearly 300 projects, said Chris Murphy, assistant director of operations at the Office of Traffic Safety.

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State Funds O.C. Traffic Safety Projects

State officials announced Tuesday that 10 Orange County traffic safety projects will receive nearly $2.4 million in grant funding. A list of the projects and amounts awarded:

Organization: Amount

Orange County Sheriff/Coroner: Forensic Breath Alcohol Program: $393,000

Orange County Department of Education Teen Driver Awareness Program: $360,737

Garden Grove Comprehensive Pedestrian & Vehicle Occupant Safety Program: $180,000

Irvine Police Department, School Zone Traffic Management 2000: $172,000

Costa Mesa Police Department, DUI Enforcement and Speed Reduction Program: $77,069

Garden Grove Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program: $35,899

La Habra Police Department, C.L.A.S. (Court Liaison Aide Support) Proposal: $235,780

Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Traffic Violator Apprehension Program: $369,573

Buena Park, Traffic Information Management System: $48,000

University of California, Irvine, CALSAFE Orange County: $500,000.

Source: California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency