Orange County Sheriff Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation--July 2nd

Laguna Niguel, CA--The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a specialized Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation on July 2 in an effort to lower deaths and injuries.

Extra officers will be on duty patrolling areas frequented by motorcyclists and where motorcycle crashes occur. Officers will be looking for violations made by drivers and riders alike that can lead to motorcycle crashes. They will be cracking down on both those operating regular vehicles and motorcycles who are violating traffic safety laws.

Motorcycle fatalities jumped dramatically in California. In 2013, 453 motorcyclists lost their lives, which is at a 5 year high. California collision data reveals that primary causes of motorcycle-involved crashes include speeding, unsafe turning and impairment due to alcohol and other drugs by both riders and drivers alike.

Operations like this are aimed at curbing any more rises in motorcycle deaths and sending the numbers back downward. Over the course of the past seven years, motorcycle involved collisions have resulted in twenty-three fatal and injury crashes within Orange County Sheriff’s Department jurisdiction.

California collision data reveals that primary causes of motorcycle-involved crashes include speeding, unsafe turning and impairment due to alcohol and other drugs by both riders and drivers alike. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is also reminding all motorists to always be alert and watch out for motorcycles, especially when turning and changing lanes.

Riders are urged to get training through the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. Information and training locations are available at http://www.californiamotorcyclist.com/ or 1-877 RIDE 411 (1-877-743-3411).

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The message to all drivers and motorcyclists is: share in the responsibility and do your part by safely “sharing the road.”