The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the state for a year-long program designed to help prevent traffic-related deaths and injuries.

“The sheriff’s department will use the funding as part of the county’s ongoing commitment to keep our roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education,” a sheriff’s statement said.

After falling to a 10-year low in 2010, the number of people killed in traffic crashes has climbed nearly 17 percent across the state, with 3,176 killed in 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Particularly alarming is the six-year rise in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, along with the growing dangers of distracting technologies and the emergence of drug-impaired driving as a major problem,” the statement said.

“This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as drunk driving, speeding and crashes at intersections,” the statement said.

Funding for the program was provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

—City News Service

>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!