Dedham Police Department Receives $15,500 in Grants for Motorist & Pedestrian Safety

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Dedham Police Department Receives $15,500 in Grants for Motorist & Pedestrian Safety

DEDHAM — Police Chief Michael J. d’Entremont reports that getting around Dedham by car, bike, or foot will now be safer thanks to more than $15,000 in state grants awarded to the Dedham Police Department for safety and enforcement programs.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) Highway Safety Division awarded the Dedham Police Department $12,500 for five traffic programs and $3,000 for a pedestrian and bicycle program. This was the maximum amount of funding eligible to cover traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle safety enforcement and will allow the Department to implement six separate programs.

The traffic programs will include “Speed and Aggressive Driving,” “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “Distracted Driving,” and “Click it or Ticket” mobilizations. DPD is already enforcing the first of the new programs in its “safety blitz” campaign and will continue to do so through September 2015.

“Speeding translates to tragedy on our roadways. It greatly reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely, putting themselves, their passengers, and other drivers at tremendous risk,” Chief d’Entremont said. “Speeding is just one of the things we hope to tackle with these grants, generously awarded to us from the state.”

In 2012, speeding was a contributing factor in more than a third of all fatal crashes in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

During the safety blitz campaign, officers will intensify enforcement of posted speed limits, especially on Rt. 1/Providence Highway, which typically experiences a high volume of traffic and pedestrian accidents. The Department also will be on alert for aggressive drivers.

In addition, the pedestrian and bicycle safety grant will help pay for targeted enforcement and crosswalk decoy patrols. The enforcement techniques will help the department analyze and crack down on those who do not share the road appropriately and determine “best practices” for bicycle and pedestrian safety.

According to the Massachusetts Traffic Records Analysis Center, there have been 230 fatal injuries and more than 3,400 serious or incapacitating injuries sustained by pedestrians in motor vehicle crashes statewide from 2008 to 2012. During the same time frame, bicyclists sustained more than 1,100 serious or incapacitating injuries and 43 fatal injuries as a result of motor vehicle crashes. In addition, 591 persons died while riding or walking on or near Massachusetts roadways.

“Traffic crashes of all kinds, between multiple motor vehicles, or one vehicle and a pedestrian or a bicyclist, are preventable,” said d’Entremont. “Using the funding provided, the Dedham Police Department is as committed as we have ever been to saving lives and reducing the number of accidents. Any death or injury on our roadways is one too many.”

The Dedham Police Department will work toward the overall statewide EOPPS goals, which include reducing alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities by 20 percent by 2017, increasing the use of seat belts, and reducing fatalities due to speeding.

DPD has received EOPSS safety grants for several consecutive years. This year, the EOPSS awarded almost $3 million in grants for municipal police departments. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/highwaysafety.

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