CHP

GRANT SUPPORTS SAFE ON ALL ROADS REGIONAL CAMPAIGN SANTA BARBARA, Calif. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is implementing a joint regional effort to save lives and remove unsafe and impaired drivers from the road. The CHP’s Santa Barbara and Buellton Area offices will use a federal grant to accomplish this mission throughout the Santa Barbara region. The 12-month project started October 1, 2020 and ends on September 30, 2021. The impacted Areas will deploy officers ...on enhanced enforcement patrol particularly on U.S. 101; State Routes 1, 154, 192, and 246; and problematic roadways within the CHP’s Santa Barbara and Buellton Area jurisdictions, such as Hollister Avenue, Ballard Canyon Road, and Via Real. This grant will allow for heightened enforcement of our traffic laws and the removal of dangerous impaired drivers from our roadways, said Captain Michael Logie, commander of the CHP Santa Barbara Area office. Driving is a huge responsibility that needs to be taken seriously. Your safety and the safety of others is in your hands every time you get behind the wheel. Officers will conduct enhanced enforcement patrols throughout Santa Barbara County for driving under the influence and the main causes of crashes, including speeding, unsafe turning, and unsafe passing violations. This CHP traffic safety effort will also include a public awareness campaign to help reinforce the safe driving message. Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

MULTIPLE TRAFFIC COLLISIONS! On 10-22-2020, at approximately 5:53 am, CHP Buellton Area received calls of multiple traffic collisions, on US-101 southbound, north of the Gaviota Rest Area. As a result of the traffic collisions, minor injuries were reported, and no parties were transported to a hospital. Due to numerous collisions, US-101 southbound, south of State Route -1 was temporarily closed for approximately 1 hour and 56 minutes. Southbound traffic was diverted to... State Route 154 eastbound. Northbound traffic was not affected. At the time of the traffic collisions, heavy mist was present resulting in wet roadways. As weather transitions from dry months into the wet months, many road pavements are the most slippery when it first starts to rain because oil and dust have not yet washed away. CHP would like to remind the motoring public to check and properly maintained their vehicles. Vehicle tires should be free of any damage, tears, or bulges. Check that the tire tread depth and air pressure are within the manufacture recommendations. Check windshield wipers and blades, head lights, and tail lights to ensure they are in proper working order. It is important for drivers to operate their vehicles at safe speeds for the roadway conditions. Drivers should reduce their speed for inclement weather and avoid distracted driving See more

Special Olympics Torch Run Your Buellton CHP is doing a virtual Special Olympics torch run this year, supporting this great organization. We will be running a few miles within the Santa Ynez Valley. Hundreds of officers from local, county, state, federal, and military agencies will go above the normal call of duty and run in the Virtual Torch Run for Special Olympics Southern California. During the Virtual Torch Run, we will run or walk through Southern California communities and raise awareness for athletes of Special Olympics Southern California. Please see the link below for more information about the Special Olympics Torch run.

CHP TO FOCUS ON REDUCING TEEN DISTRACTED DRIVING Nearly six teen drivers are involved in a fatal car crash every day in the United States. Inexperience combined with driver distraction increases the risk for error, making motor vehicle crashes the leading cause of death for young drivers in the nation. To reduce teen distracted driving, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has partnered with Impact Teen Drivers (ITD) to teach positive habits... and behaviors to our most vulnerable drivers through education and enforcement. Ten percent of all drivers ages 15 to 19 who were involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash, and 100 percent of those crashes were preventable. Based on miles driven, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety discovered that teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. To combat this alarming trend, the message of the ITD program is simple: keep both hands on the wheel, eyes on the road, and mind focused on driving. Teen drivers are the most at risk of driving distracted. They are more likely than any other demographic to be involved in traffic crashes where distracted driving is a factor, said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. Sadly, many of these crashes will result in injuries and deaths. We hope to help eliminate these preventable deadly crashes. The CHP and ITD will conduct virtual classes at schools and community events throughout California during the pandemic to help change the behavior of teen drivers. The yearlong Teen Distracted Drivers Education and Enforcement X grant provides for an education component as well as enforcement operations to be conducted statewide through September 30, 2021. In California we lose the equivalent of eight, large school buses filled with teens each year to car crashes. Impact Teen Drivers, CHP, and the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) partner to offer free in-person and online training for parents and teenstogether, we can stop the #1 killer of teens, said Dr. Kelly Browning, Executive Director of ITD. For free safe driving resources in English or Spanish, please visit www.ImpactTeenDrivers.org. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from OTS through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. See more

CHP REMINDS PARENTS TO BE ROLE MODELS FOR TEEN DRIVERS Teen drivers can face challenges with every new experience. During National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 18-24, 2020, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to encourage parents and guardians to discuss driver safety with their young drivers. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, ahead of any type of injury, disease..., or violence. According to preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, 255 people in California were killed last year in crashes involving drivers aged 15-19. Teen drivers do not have the experience needed when confronted with new challenges on the road. This can create a potential danger to themselves and others, CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. Through open communication and by setting an example with their own good driving habits, parents and guardians can help keep their young drivers safe. Discussions about safe driving include avoiding distractions such as cell phones, using seat belts, obeying speed limits, not driving impaired, and limiting the number of passengers. Parents and guardians must be aware that their own driving behavior and following the same rules is as important as any conversation they may have with their teen. The CHP provides education to help keep teen drivers alive in its Start Smart course, offered by all CHP offices free of charge. Participating in Start Smart will help parents and guardians learn how to effectively discuss the importance of driving safely with their young drivers. Start Smart also teaches driver responsibility, the Graduated Driver License program, and collision-avoidance techniques. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Start Smart classes are being held online