The California Highway Patrol recently announced a stepped-up focus on pedestrian, bicycle and motorcycle safety through two new programs funded by the state Office of Traffic Safety.
To help support the CHP’s year-long effort to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, the department was awarded the California Pedestrian and Bicyclist Enforcement and Education Project VIII grant. The CHP will use the grant funds to conduct enhanced enforcement patrols and public awareness campaigns through Sept. 30, 2021.
“Whether traveling by motor vehicle, bicycle or on foot, we all share the road. Bicycle and pedestrian safety is everyone’s responsibility,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “This grant provides us additional resources to focus on the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, our most vulnerable roadway users.”
Pedestrian and bicycle fatalities accounted for nearly 33 percent of all traffic-related deaths in California in 2018. The CHP reminds motorists to always scan each intersection for potential foot and bicycle traffic and to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians whether in marked or unmarked crosswalks.
On Oct. 7 – the National Center for Safe Routes to School’s “Walk and Bike to School Day” – the CHP targeted locations with high numbers of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes. Officers in plain clothes worked with uniformed officers to monitor crosswalks for motorists and pedestrians who fail to yield the right-of-way or who take unsafe or illegal actions.
The CHP also will use the grant funding to educate the public on safe and courteous traffic behavior through public presentations and safety publications, and to provide bicycle and pedestrian safety equipment for distribution including bicycle helmets and reflective gear.
Meanwhile, statewide motorcycle safety awareness is the focus of Get Educated and Ride Safe (GEARS) III, a year-long, federally funded program focused on educational and enforcement efforts.
The primary goal of GEARS III is to reduce the number of motorcycle-involved crashes and victims. In federal fiscal year 2017-18, the number of motorcycle-involved crashes increased about 3 percent within CHP jurisdiction. However, provisional 2018-19 data show a 10 percent decrease.
“The ultimate objective is to improve not just motorcycle safety, but highway safety overall,” Stanley said. “The additional education and enforcement funded by GEARS III helps our officers meet this objective.”
During the grant period, the CHP will increase motorcycle safety activities in regions with a high number of motorcycle incidents and participate in traffic safety education campaigns such as “May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.”
The campaigns will promote the use of U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant helmets for all riders and raise motorists’ awareness of sharing the road with motorcyclists. Officers also will focus on the most dangerous traffic violations, including speeding, improper turning, and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Funding for these programs was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.