COURTHOUSE DOCENTS HELP JURORS FIND WAY AROUND.

Byline: TRACY VALERI Community Columnist

To alleviate the burden of jury duty, the Los Angeles County Juror Service Program has begun the first jury docent program.

Eight volunteers in the Van Nuys Courthouse and the Criminal Courts Building downtown have been charged with the task of lending help to frazzled or lost jurors.

``When I served on jury duty, I felt bewildered and lost,'' said Howard Steinhardt, a retired businessman who serves as a docent. ``I just thought if I could do anything to help others, I would do it.''

The three men and five women docents were given comprehensive training in a classroom and on the job.

From 8 a.m. to noon, the docents, who are identifiable by their burgundy jackets, help jurors by answering questions, providing information about the jury and court systems and guiding them to courtrooms, waiting areas and other court facilities.

The program was implemented by the Court Improvement Initiative's Van Nuys Task Force.

Juror Services Manager Gloria Gomez says that according to the National Center for State Courts, no similar program exists in the country.

The program is scheduled to be expanded to Santa Monica in January and to other districts later in 1998.

Many people are either heading home after their Christmas celebrations or heading out for the New Year, so the California Highway Patrol reminds motorists that the most traveled time of the year is during the holidays.

During the maximum enforcement period, which ends at midnight today, every available officer will be patrolling the highways, targeting drunk drivers and motorists not wearing seat belts, including children not in child safety seats.

``The (holiday) season is a time for peace and joy,'' said Chief Ed Gomez, commander of the Southern Division of the CHP. ``Remembering to use extra caution when operating your motor vehicle this holiday season will ensure a safe and happy holiday for everyone.''

The CHP offers the following recommendations for a safe trip:

Conduct a pretrip inspection of your vehicle.

Be prepared for rainy/foggy weather and snow in higher elevations.

Buckle up and make sure all passengers are wearing safety belts.

To reduce fatigue, rest 10 minutes for every two hours you drive.

Have a route planned out and share the information with family and friends.

Reduce speed.

Allow one car length between the vehicle you are following for every 10 miles per hour of driving speed.

If any loved ones have lost their vision, they can learn new ways of managing an independent life through Braille Institute's free outreach program.

Participants will learn how to travel safely and identify surroundings; techniques for money handling, cooking and other daily tasks; skills for handwriting; and reading and writing Braille.

Scheduled trips and other events will provide supervised practice of newly learned skills.

The program will be at two locations: The Joslyn Adult Center in Burbank from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays beginning Jan. 6; and at Reseda's Valley Senior Service and Resource Center, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning Jan. 7.

For more information, call the Braille Institute at [phone] Ext. 268.