FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

09-27-11 1201AM

Assembly Bill 348 (Buchanan), re-authorizing a safety enhancement double-fine zone along Vasco Road, was recently signed into law by Gov Jerry Brown. Vasco Road has an accident rate twice the state average for similar roads. Last year, Marco Ortiz, an Alameda County Deputy Sheriff from Brentwood, was killed in vehicle accident while driving home on Vasco Road.

“Alameda and Contra Costa counties have worked hard to make this road safer for drivers,” said Buchanan. “Both counties are in the process of making safety improvements, but lack funding to complete all phases. This bill gives the counties the authority to designate a double-fine zone along Vasco Road in attempt to deter the unsafe driving practices that lead to the high number of accidents and fatalities.”

AB 348 will give Alameda and Contra Costa counties the ability to double the base fine for traffic violations along Vasco Road, a predominantly two-lane, undivided road between Interstate 580 in Alameda County and Walnut Boulevard in Contra Costa County. As a condition of the bill, the counties must also engage in a public-awareness campaign to inform the public of the double-fine zone designation; place and maintain warning signs; and conduct an evaluation on the effectiveness of the double-fine zone.

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