SACRAMENTO – The California Highway Patrol is benefiting from federal funds to help launch and maintain its yearlong, Impaired Driving Enforcement and Apprehension (IDEA) campaign throughout the state.

The campaign’s overall goal is to reduce the number of alcohol-involved collisions and people killed and injured in these crashes through enhanced enforcement and a public awareness campaign.

“California has made great strides in reducing the number of people killed or injured as a result of DUI,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “We will continue our efforts in educating the public and arrest those who choose to endanger themselves and others.”

In 2009, the number of alcohol-involved collisions in California accounted for 14 percent of the total number of crashes reported in the state, the CHP reported.

As a result of the more than 8,600 alcohol-involved collisions, 754 people were killed and another 11,764 others were injured, the agency said.

The IDEA program will provide funding that will allow the CHP to conduct sobriety and driver license checkpoints, DUI task force operations and deploy proactive DUI enforcement patrol operations statewide.

The CHP also will conduct local traffic safety presentations in an effort to reach thousands of people throughout California. Additionally, funding is provided for a statewide media campaign.

“We will be tracking the progress of this anti-DUI program for positive results, as we work toward our goal of removing impaired drivers from California’s roadways,” added Farrow.

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

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .