New grant cracking down on dangerous drivers

When it comes to enforcing the rules of the road, Riverside County Sheriffs’ Department Deputy Claro Sanchez sees it as protecting the community he serves. "We’re seeing people drive at an unsafe speed, not obey traffic signs, improper turns," he said. Now, thanks to a new nearly $250,000 grant from the State of California, Deputy Sanchez and his team will have extra enforcement patrolling our streets, which will hopefully help reduce accidents and fatalities. "We’re talking about the California Office of Traffic Safety grant that was issued to the city of Palm Desert, Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage," Deputy Sanchez said. "We have that grant for a whole year," he added. "We’re definitely going to do saturation patrols and extra visibility enforcement within the three cities and by doing those enforcements people will see us out there on the road and people will slow down." From running red lights to making illegal turns, operating vehicles while under the influence to traveling at unsafe speeds, driving in the desert can be dangerous and even deadly. And with the funds from this grant providing law enforcement extra visibility on our streets, Deputy Sanchez hopes more drivers will follow the rules of the road. Law enforcement says if you see a risky driver don’t hesitate to call 911 immediately. This story was written and reported by Kai Beech.