Speed and aggressive driving continue to be a major concern on California roadways, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is receiving additional resources to combat these dangerous driving behaviors statewide.

The Speed Prevention, Education and Enforcement Deterrence (SPEED) grant, through the California Office of Traffic Safety, aims to reduce the number of fatal and injury crashes related to speed by funding additional CHP enforcement patrols and public awareness campaigns throughout California through Sept. 30, 2023.

Speed is a factor in approximately 40 percent of all fatal and injury crashes in California. Between Oct. 1, 2019 and Sept. 30, 2020, there were 26,256 speed-related crashes that killed 290 people and injured 38,157 others.

“Reducing dangerous driving behaviors continues to be a high priority for the CHP,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “The SPEED grant provides the necessary funding to bolster resources and combat this growing trend of reckless and inexcusable driving behavior.”

From Jan. 1, 2020, through Sept. 20, 2021, the CHP used federal funding in a similar grant program to implement educational and enforcement efforts to combat dangerous driving behaviors by conducting enhanced speed enforcement operations on state routes. During this time, the CHP issued nearly 50,000 citations to motorists exceeding 100 miles per hour, collaborated with allied law enforcement agencies and posted anti-speeding and aggressive driving behavior messages on social media.