Year-long Crackdown By Temecula CHP Begins

TEMECULA, CA — Stepped-up enforcement efforts by the California Highway Patrol in the Temecula area are under way and are expected to last for a year, the agency announced Monday.

The "regional traffic safety campaign," designed to reduce crashes and save lives, is being funded by a federal grant, according to the CHP. "Enhanced" enforcement areas include Interstates 15 and 215; state Routes 74, 79, and 371; and county unincorporated roads where the CHP Temecula Area office has jurisdiction, the agency said.

The effort will also include a community-based task force and a public awareness and education campaign to reinforce key traffic safety messages, according to the CHP.

“With a proactive approach to make the roadways safer, we will continue to reduce the number
of injury and fatal crashes occurring in Riverside County,” said CHP Captain Jason Penner,
commander of the Temecula Area office. “The men and women of the CHP Temecula Area are
committed to saving lives, and this grant will build on the momentum achieved from past
education and enforcement campaigns.”

According to the CHP Temecula Area office, data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System show that between Oct. 1, 2017 and Sept. 30, 2018, there were 1,306 people injured and killed in motor vehicle crashes on state highways and unincorporated roads patrolled by the CHP Temecula Area office.

The primary crash factors were unsafe speed, improper turning, unsafe lane change, impaired driving and automobile right-of-way violations, the CHP Temecula Area office reported.