Bicycle And Pedestrian Safety Focus In North OC

STANTON, CA – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will step up bike and pedestrian safety enforcement operations in the city of Stanton on Thursday, Dec. 28, with focused enforcement on collision-causing factors involving motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Deputies will be looking for violations made by drivers, bike riders and pedestrians alike that can lead to life-
changing injuries.

Special attention will be directed toward drivers speeding, making illegal turns, failing to stop for signs and
signals, failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks or any other dangerous violation.

Additionally, enforcement will be taken for observed violations when pedestrians cross the street illegally or fail to yield to drivers who have the right-of-way. Bike riders will be stopped and citations issued when they fail to follow the same traffic laws that apply to motorists. All riders are reminded to always wear a helmet – those under 18 years of age must wear helmets by law. Pedestrians should cross the street only in marked
crosswalks or at corners.

Bicycle and pedestrian fatalities are rising in California as more people use these non-motorized means of
transportation. Locally, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has investigated 759 fatal and injury collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists during the past three (3) years. In 2013, California witnessed 701 pedestrians and 141 bicyclists killed, accounting for more than 28 percent of all traffic fatalities.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Photo by Murillo de Paula on Unsplash