SANTA MONICA—On Thursday, September 4, the city of Santa Monica announced the Police Department will be conducting a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation on Friday, September 5.
Authorities will conduct a traffic safety operation from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk. These violations include speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield or provide right of way to bicyclists or pedestrians, or failing to stop for signs and signals.
The SMPD offers steps drivers and pedestrians can take to greatly reduce the risk of getting injured or in a crash:
Pedestrians
Be predictable. Use crosswalks, when available.
Take notice of approaching vehicles and practice due care.
Do not walk or run into the path of a vehicle. At 30 mph, a driver needs at least 90 feet to stop.
Be visible. Make it easy for drivers to see you – wear light colors, reflective material and carry a flashlight, particularly at dawn, dusk or at night.
Be extra careful crossing streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits.
Drivers
Do not speed, and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks, and between intersections where pedestrians may cross.
Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn.
Never drive impaired.
Bicyclists
Obey traffic laws, use hand signals, use lights at night (front white light and rear red reflector), and wear a helmet.
Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.
Avoid the door zone: do not ride too closely to parked cars.
If there’s a bike lane, use it, unless making a left turn, passing, or approaching a place where a right turn is allowed.
Yield to pedestrians. Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians within marked crosswalks or within unmarked crosswalks at intersections, and between intersections where pedestrians may cross.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
By Danny Jones