All across the state, various safety efforts are receiving funding based off of grants rewarded via the California Office of Traffic Safety. A new article focuses specifically on the efforts of the University of California-San Diego to promote safety by attempting to reduce instances of distracted driving and other mishaps.
$87 million in total was earmarked for 274 safety projects around California. These projects target a number of areas. Some might focus on cracking down on intoxication at the wheel while others may attempt to drum up awareness about the importance of bicycle safety.
But in San Diego, the focus will be on distracted driving and driving activities among older individuals. First, nearly $150,000 will be provided for the development of a worksite course that will seek to get people to put down their cellphones when on the road. But the more highly funded project will seek to promote safety among older persons at the wheel. Around $334,000 will be provided so that officials can be trained to promote this type of safety.
Various other colleges will focus on such topics as seat belt usage, motorcycle safety, and more. Distraction in particular has caught the eye of the director of the DOT. He has pointed to the impact that cellphones have on reaction time and brain activity and believes that the number of distracted drivers on the road absolutely has to be reduced.