MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA —Chief Todd J. Fitzgerald is pleased to announce that the Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department has been awarded a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research to support a driving safety campaign.
The $5,568 grant will fund multiple high-visibility traffic enforcement initiatives in Manchester-by-the-Sea this year and is part of a statewide campaign to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety. Manchester-by-the-Sea Police will be targeting violations including impaired driving, speeding and distracted driving, and the grant will fund overtime hours to support the initiative.
“The Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Department will be specifically targeting speeding and distracted driving which pose a serious danger to motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians,” Chief Fitzgerald said. “This grant will contribute to enforcing traffic law and keeping residents safe on roadways.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approximately nine people are killed daily in motor vehicle crashes that involve a distracted driver, and approximately 1,000 are injured. Distracted driving claimed 2,841 lives in 2018, and among those killed were 400 pedestrians and 77 bicyclists.
Manchester-by-the-Sea Police will have several cruisers on the lookout for impaired and reckless driving. Residents are reminded never to get behind the wheel if they have been drinking and to never get into a vehicle if the driver is impaired, and to always be vigilant for bicyclists and pedestrians on the road.
According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities for more than two decades. In 2018, speeding was a contributing factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities, killing 9,378, or more than 25 people per day on average.
Even when following the speed limits, residents are reminded to keep in mind other factors that affect their safety when driving, such as road conditions, weather, road construction and lighting.
For more driving safety tips, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/road- safety.
