SACRAMENTO, Calif. – As California celebrates Latino
Heritage Month recognizing the contributions of the more than 15 million Latinos
who call California home, the CHP received grant funding to promote traffic
safety within Spanish-speaking communities
The CHP’s El
Protector program is the Department’s longest-standing community outreach engagement
program, with a rich history of direct community involvement dating back to
1987 – see this short documentary
on the history of the program. With
more than a quarter of California’s Latino population speaking limited English
or solely Spanish, the El Protector Program is designed
to help bring traffic safety education directly to the Spanish-speaking population,
reduce the number of crashes on our roads, and save lives.
This year’s El
Protector – Spanish Traffic Education Program runs from October 1, 2023, through
September 30, 2024.
“Our
primary focus is enhancing the safety of California’s roadways,” said CHP
Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Through the El
Protector Program, we strengthen the CHP’s collaboration with the Spanish-speaking
communities we serve. This initiative places
a special emphasis on education and preserving lives through dialogue, as opposed
to solely focusing on enforcement measures.”
As
part of the El Protector Program, Spanish-speaking officers will share traffic
safety tips during appearances on Spanish-speaking media outlets and conduct traffic
safety presentations with community partners at a variety of venues statewide. These include, but are not limited to, health
fairs, migrant and farmworker communities, businesses with a high number of Spanish-speaking
employees, and Hispanic/Latino cultural events.
Topics
of discussion include the importance of seatbelt/child safety restraints, the dangers
of impaired driving and distracted driving, the primary causes of crashes, defensive
driving techniques, teen/parent safe driving, driver’s license requirements,
and other educational subjects.
Members
of the public can request an El Protector Program traffic safety presentation
by contacting the CHP’s Office of Community Outreach, Marketing, and Recruitment
at (916) 843-3210.
Funding
for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic
Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The
mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.
###
