San Jose Mercury News

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Jose California Highway Patrol office and the Santa Rosa Police Department were recipients of a statewide award for excellence in community traffic safety programs, the CHP reported.

The conference, called the California Law Enforcement Challenge, showcases the best and most innovative programs used by traffic safety organizations throughout the state, according to CHP.

The programs are designed to increase usage of seat belts and child safety seats and to curtail impaired driving and speeding.

'It is programs like these that have contributed to the lowering of California's mileage death rate (number of fatalities per 100 million miles driven) from 1.31 to 1.27 during the past year,' said Dr. David Manning, regional administrator of The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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