PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1995, 23 percent of California's motor vehicle crash deaths, and 30 percent of its crash injuries occurred in Los Angeles County. Data also indicate that seat belts were not worn by 67 percent of these fatally-injured crash victims, and 50 percent of those injured. In addition, 20 percent of county fatal crashes were alcohol-related.

Los Angeles County also accounted for 33 percent of California's pedestrian crash fatalities in 1995, with 9 percent of victims between the ages of 5 and 14 years old. Further, 91 percent of bicyclists killed or injured, were not wearing a helmet. The county's 48 law enforcement agencies could clearly benefit from a traffic safety program focusing on interagency cooperation and coordination, to achieve greater results than any one agency working alone.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to reduce traffic crash-related deaths and injuries, and promote traffic safety in Los Angeles County, the Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles County (POALAC) teamed with the Montebello Police Department to develop the 3E (Education, Enforcement, Events) Traffic Safety Calendar in 1999. Objectives of the project were to:

• Develop a one-year calendar of monthly countermeasures targeting a specific traffic safety issue each month, and providing enforcement and education or a special event to focus attention on issues such as impaired driving, child passenger safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety and aggressive driving
• Conduct 6 countywide impaired driving checkpoints, and 4 child safety seat check-up events during the year-long project
• Provide quarterly press conferences and monthly press releases or media alerts publicizing each month's activities
• Develop and distribute 5,000 posters on each of four traffic safety issues, a "how-to" video on the School Valet Drop-off Program, training tapes and educational materials

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Beginning in January 1999, Los Angeles County's law enforcement coalition began monthly enforcement operations for speeding, occupant protection, impaired driving, school bus enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety awareness. Each activity was preceded by a media release sent to 49 news outlets in a variety of languages including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Armenian, Russian and Vietnamese. Other activities associated with the 3E Traffic Safety Calendar project include:

• Conducting 8 child safety seat check-up events, and training 200 inspectors
• Producing a how-to video on the Torrance Police Department's School Valet Drop-off Program
• Distributing posters, antenna balls and pens, and purchasing an 8-foot display unit to enhance press conferences and public events
• Launching a Traffic Officer Day, along with a Knight in Shining Armor Award program

RESULTS
The wide variety of events conducted through the 3E Traffic Safety Calendar project produced impressive results, including:

• Increasing law enforcement agency participation at Traffic Committee meetings by 50 percent
• Law enforcement officers issued 5,305 speeding citations, 1,000 pedestrian right-of-way citations, increased child safety seat citations by 50 percent, conducted 78 sobriety checkpoints resulting in 68 impaired driving arrests and impounded 136 vehicles
• Distributing 50,000 antenna balls, 15,000 posters with shoulder patch borders, and 2,000 copies of the School Valet Drop-off Program
• A total of 4,500 schools have implemented the Drop-off program
• POALAC issued 27 press releases, and held 7 news conferences