ROUTE 138 PATROLLING STEPPED UP; PALMDALE CORRIDOR TARGETED.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

More sheriff's deputies are patrolling for speeders and other traffic-law violators along East Palmdale Boulevard and 47th Street East, as part of the continuing campaign to reduce crashes on Highway 138.

A $15,000 state grant will pay for about 280 hours worth of extra patrols by deputies between now and June inside Palmdale city limits, while California Highway Patrol officers continue stepped-up patrols along the highway east of the city.

``They wanted to include all stretches of 138,'' Palmdale sheriff's traffic investigator Mike Redding said. ``We have a pretty sizable amount of 138 that runs through the city of Palmdale.''

Funded through a grant from the State Route 138 Safety Corridor Project, the extra sheriff's patrols will take place at various times and on different days throughout the week, officials said. The majority of collisions occur from about 9 a.m. to about 8 p.m., which is also the time Palmdale Boulevard and 47th Street East have the most traffic.

Speeding is by far the leading cause of collisions, according to a Highway 138 study, followed by failure to yield, following too closely and running red lights, Redding said.

Palmdale sheriff's station deputies will be targeting violators on Palmdale Boulevard to 47th Street East, south on 47th Street East to Avenue S, and on Fort Tejon Road east to where it joins Pearblossom Highway at the Four Points intersection.

Deputies also may set up checkpoints along those streets to catch drunk drivers or people who are not wearing seat belts or who do not have their children buckled into child restraint seats.