SACRAMENTO,
Calif. – Grab your bicycle, fasten your helmet, and get outdoors for a bike
ride. With more daylight hours before sunset
and warming temperatures, May is the perfect month to enjoy outdoor activities. May also happens to be National Bicycle
Safety Month, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Office of Traffic
Safety (OTS) want to remind outdoor enthusiasts that whether you are a cyclist,
pedestrian, or driver, traffic safety laws are in place to save lives.
“As
more Californians choose walking and bicycling as primary modes of
transportation, creating a safer environment for all roadway users is a shared
responsibility,” said Commissioner Amanda Ray.
Drivers
can help create a safer environment for cyclists by checking their blind spots when
changing lanes, proceeding with caution through intersections, remembering to
look carefully for bicyclists and pedestrians before making a turn, and always
looking for cyclists before opening the car door near streets or bike paths. California law also requires drivers to
maintain a minimum of three feet of distance when passing or overtaking a
cyclist. If there is not enough room to safely pass, be patient and wait until it
is safe.
“If
you’re driving, be the best version of yourself,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney
said. “We are all pedestrians at one
point and many of us ride bikes. Slow
down and share the road so we may all get places safely.”
According
to the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, in 2020, California had
almost 8,800 bicycle crashes with 90 percent of them involving an injury. In that same year, 151 people died in bicycle
crashes. Although helmets are not
required for people ages 18 and older, wearing a properly secured helmet drastically
reduces a rider’s chance of a head injury.
As part of National Bicycle Safety Month, the CHP has partnered with the
OTS to educate the public on bicycle safety and the laws that apply to all modes
of transportation.
Throughout May, many local CHP offices will offer educational
presentations and bicycle trainings to promote bicycle safety. For more information, please use this link https://www.chp.ca.gov/find-an-office
to contact your local CHP office.
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety,
Service, and Security.
# # #
