Santa Maria police boosts safety enforcement Wednesday night

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The Santa Maria police are stepping up enforcement due to a growing trend in crashes. 

Extra officers targeted drivers on Betteravia and other roads were crashes are up in the city.

Their focus was to crack down on dangerous driving.

Officers worked over-time to make the streets safer.

Officers said one of the leading causes is an uptick in DUI arrests.

So far there have been 150 hit-and-run traffic collisions this year. 

“Whether they are on Betteravia, Broadway, Main Street or Donovan, they’re going to be out and looking for drivers reckless with their travels,” said Lt. Russell Mengel with the Santa Maria Police Department.

Officers looked for moving violators such as speeding stop lights and unsafe turning.

Mengel said this is the second of several special traffic enforcement the department will be conducting throughout the year.