A state grant will be used by Shasta County Public Health to educate young people about impaired driving. The $255,000 has been awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, to be used through September targeting teens and young adults. The latest year with comprehensive data was 2022, when Shasta County had 726 arrests for driving under the influence. Crashes involving alcohol killed or injured 123 people that year, 59 of whom were drivers between ages 21 and 34 who had been drinking and 9 were drivers under the age 21 who had been drinking. Nationwide, 56% of drivers in serious injury or fatal crashes test positive for drugs or alcohol. The grant money will fund DUI prevention campaigns on high school and college campuses, social media messaging and other presentations.
-Steve Gibson