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BUELLTON, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) Buellton Area office will use grant funding to implement a regional traffic safety campaign in Santa Barbara County aimed at preventing the “Top 5” primary crash factors (PCF) in two CHP jurisdictions to reduce the number of victims killed and injured in traffic crashes. This one-year project started on October 1, 2025, and ends on September 30, 2026.
The CHP Buellton Area will deploy officers to conduct enforcement operations in high crash areas on United States 101; State Routes 1, 154, and 246; and unincorporated roadways within Santa Barbara County.
“We are taking a proactive approach to aggressively enforce PCF violations in key areas identified as high-risk through historical crash data analysis,” said CHP Acting Commander James Ferguson, of the Buellton Area office. “This campaign will use a combination of education and enforcement to help make Santa Barbara County roadways a safer place to travel.”
According to the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, there were 540 reportable crashes from 2021-2023. In 2023, 13 people were killed and 282 people injured in traffic crashes attributed to speeding, improper turning, right-of-way, driving under the influence and wrong side of road violations. This CHP traffic safety effort also includes a community-based task force and public awareness and education to help reinforce safe driving practices.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
