Every year, far too many Southern California residents and visitors are struck by negligent or downright reckless motorists. In an effort to help minimize the risks that pedestrians, cyclists, fellow motorists and other travelers face on roads in and around San Diego in the coming year, the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) – in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) a grant to support its ongoing traffic safety education and enforcement programs.
The grant will specifically support ongoing education and enforcement efforts through September 2026, which will significantly support programming that has already proven to be effective.
How the grant will help to keep San Diego roads safer
When receiving the grant, SDPD Sgt. Gregory Minter observed that, “Through a combination of education and enforcement efforts, our goal is to reduce dangerous driving behaviors, prevent crashes and make our roads safer for everyone.” The new OTS grant aims to support those efforts so that they can do the kinds of good in 2026 that they’ve done in 2025.
Specifically, the grant will support both drunk driving patrols and DUI checkpoints to minimize travelers’ risk of being struck by an impaired driver. It will also support operations targeted at enforcing California’s distracted driving rules, including its hands-free cell phone law. It will also support community safety education specifically related to cycling and pedestrian concerns.
More broadly, enforcement operations will also focus on the top causes of motor vehicle collisions in California, including speeding. These operations will also target dangerous behavior that specifically places the health and safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized travelers at the greatest risk of harm.
Additionally, the OTS grant is going to support outreach and collaboration with neighboring law enforcement agencies and either training or recertification for officers in certain safety protocols, including recognizing impairment, performing impairment-related testing during traffic stops and impairment-related stop enforcement protocols.
While no city can be completely insulated from the risk of car collisions, each city can take steps to help minimize that risk. The new OTS grant is going to help San Diego do just that in 2026.