SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department will once again be conducting a Bike and Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operation with the intent of lowering traffic related deaths and injuries.
Focused enforcement efforts will be direct towards primary collision factors including motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
A field enforcement operation is scheduled to transpire on Saturday, June 4 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., where law enforcement officials will be on the lookout for violations made by drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians that could potentially render life-altering injuries.
The Santa Monica Police Department monitors and periodically identifies the locations where bike and pedestrian collisions are most prevalent – on Saturday, officers on duty will be patrolling specifically these areas, according to a press release from the SMPD.
Officers will be on the lookout for road-related violations committed by drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians, while special enforcement efforts will be directed towards speeding, illegal turns, failing to stop for signs and signals, and failing to yield to pedestrians in cross walks.
Repercussions will be implemented for observed violations of pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the street illegally, or failing to yield to drivers with the right of way.
Pedestrians should cross the street only in the designated marked crosswalks or at corners, and bicyclists are encouraged to wear a helmet, while those under the age of 18 are obliged by law to do so, according to the SMPD.
Funding for the SMPD’s Bike and Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
