BRADFORD- The Bradford Police Department just got a boost to it's equipment. Every year, the Vermont Agency of Transportation brings together the police departments from around the state is help make the roads safer. One of the things this meeting is focusing on, is the agency awarding grants to towns to help pay for what they need to do their job better with the use of the Governor's Highway Safety Fund.
"The Agency of Transportation will notify us when there is a campaign going on. We will commit hours to that… I do not want to call it a wake up call, but it is an emphasis. [It] lets [us] concentrate on proactive enforcement," says Chief Stiegler.
The Agency also talks about what it wants to push for driver safety. This year, the aim is to get impaired divers off the road and through the system is fast as possible. Another focus is for drivers to use their seat belts. According to Bradford Police Chief Jeff Stiegler, Vermont has a eighty-five percent seat belt compliance rate across the state. Vermont is one of the states with the highest seat belt uses. While of the lowest is South Dakota, with a seat belt usage of sixty-eight present according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration latest report from 2014.
"We will connect with the State Police and the Orange County Sheriff Department for DUI check points. We will check with motorists in respect to seat belts and making sure no one is driving impaired," says Chief Stiegler.
This year the town of Bradford was given eight thousand dollars in grants from the Governors Highway Fund. One of the plans to get a new radar sign that will track the speed of incoming cars to make sure they are fallowing the posted speed limit. This is one of the new ways that the Bradford Police department is working to make their roads a safer place for everyone.