PALMDALE – In an effort to lower deaths and injuries on local roadways, the sheriff’s department will conduct a specialized Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation in Palmdale this Wednesday, June 13, authorities announced.
“Extra deputies will be on duty patrolling areas frequented by motorcyclists and where motorcycle crashes occur. Deputies will be looking for violations made by drivers and riders alike that can lead to motorcycle crashes. They will be cracking down on [drivers and riders] who are violating traffic safety laws,” according to a news release by the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station.
In the past three years, motorcycle-involved crashes in the areas policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have resulted in 1,332 fatal and injury crashes, sheriff’s officials said in the news release.
“Operations like this are aimed at curbing any more rises in motorcycle deaths and sending the numbers back downward,” the news release states.
Authorities issued the following safety tips for motorcyclists to “see and be seen”:
- Use your lane position to increase visibility; change lanes only when there is ample room.
- Match your speed to surrounding traffic.
- Always wear a DOT compliant helmet and brightly colored, protective clothing.
- Ride with lights on during daylight hours.
- 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).
Drivers are encouraged to “share the road” by:
- Looking twice for motorcyclists, especially when entering the roadway, turning or changing lanes.
- Recognizing that motorcyclist are allowed in HOV lanes unless prohibited by signage.
Funding for the local Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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RF says
How about a crack down on drunk off duty cops smashing into multiple vehicles?
Squiggy says
When Rex is their lawyer you won’t hear about it in the AV. Thank God CBS covered the drunk officer who plowed into the car at the lookout point. R. Rex Parris is a scumbag who should rot in hell. But that may be too good for him.
Miss Manners says
If rex went to hell, there goes the neighborhood.
RF says
So when do we get to see the result?
Jeff says
… ever notice, how it’s always law-abiding citizens the LASD, in collusion with the local courts single-out in their cross hairs, for targeting?
Pauline says
I hope they look for the jerks that are on your butt because they chose to drive 90 miles per hour on Sierra Highway!!! I never see them of course when its happening..
Tim Scott says
The only time they come to Sierra Highway is when they are low on their quota. At which point they just reel people over one after the other for going with the flow of traffic. It runs ten over the limit pretty much universally so they can churn out tickets all day long.
sandra says
Hey Clyde, giving someone a ticket for making a u turn from the curb will not stop it from happening. Maybe drives ed classes will help, but a ticket will do nothing to stop the “numbskulls” as you call them from making a u turn from the curb. I think they call these collusions accidents because that’s what they are… accidents.
Sandra says
Oh yes lets look out for unsafe drivers. Give them tickets. Make money.I am sure giving unsafe drivers tickets is gong to save many lives of motorcycle riders and their passengers. For Gods sake do not fix the potholes in the roads or put up lighting on streets or even widen streets. That would cost money. . More backwards crap that the public is supposed to swallow and not see through.
AV Illegal says
Actually this enforcement effort is to cite drivers who bone up and try and run over a motorcycle because they are too busy putting on their make-up or talking on the cell phone.
Take the time to read about it on the California Grants website. It is part of a whole program the grant provides funding for including Pedestrian safety (biggest violation here is failing to yield to a pedestrian even after other cars have stopped) Bicycle safety (Biggest violations here are bike lane drivers/passers) and the Motorcycle Safety operation, which is much harder to find violations of failing to yield to motorcycles and unsafe merging of cars into motorcycles since the motorcycle population is quite small compared to cars. It is however a required part of the grant. You want the other two parts, you have to do this one as well.
Flo says
… traffic ticket revenue.
Sheri Peters says
This Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation benefits motorcycle riders by punishing them for not being safe – much like punishing a child for doing something harmful to themselves or others. If they do not want to pay the fine, don’t do the crime.
Melissa says
It’s the money. They want your money. Only one thing they care about… dipping into your bank account. It’s a shakedown. And, everyone knows it. This time around, their grab for the traffic ticket shakedown takes on a trendy biker dude theme. How novel.
AV Illegal says
This program has been going on for years. It is not a trendy biker dude theme this time around. It is part of an O.T.S. grant from the State of California. Yup, funded by your very own liberal California government.
It has several other components: Pedestrian Safety, Bicycle Safety, Motorcycle Safety and DUI check points. Some years it is separated from the DUI check points.
It is primarily designed as a tool to detect drivers of CARS who commit violations involving pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles. Motorcycles make up such a small segment of the motoring traffic in Palmdale so don’t think somehow this is targeted specifically toward those types of vehicles.
The motorcycle safety segment has always been the hardest to find violations due to that small amount of motorcycles. Unfortunately it is an included component in the grant…..do them all or get no funding.
Feel free to look it up at the OTS Grants website, or, you can just go on bashing the local Sheriff’s office like they are somehow getting rich from writing tickets.
Complain to the State government.
Alice says
Principle activity of law enforcement here in America: generating revenue, save who may. Everything else they do is window dressing.
Kelly says
To the crony kleptocracies of the LASD and the Michael D. Antonovich superior court, Antelope Valley residents constitute little more than an opened wallet, ripe for double and triple dipping. Not a thing we can do about it.
RF says
“Match your speed to surrounding traffic.” contradicts CHP opinion that riding slightly faster than surrounding traffic is actually safer.
Clyde Merrick says
I hope they’ll be looking for numbskulls that are making u-turns from the curb across several lanes. That’s what kills people. Pure stupidity. Sorry. Sometimes the facts really hurt.