Elk Grove Police to Increase Enforcement During Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

May 5, 2016 |

As part of May's Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, Elk Grove Police will be conducting specialized motorcycle safety enforcement operations 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 by over 28 percent from a decade low of 352 in 2010. 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.  In Elk Grove, over the course of the past two years, motorcycle involved collisions have resulted in 19 injury crashes.

Also, since May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, motorcycle riders are encouraged to participate in refresher 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).

A special Refresher Training for Experienced Riders is being offered May 14 and 15 only. To participate in the refresher training program, experienced riders with a motorcycle endorsement on their valid California driver’s license are invited to bring their street-legal motorcycle, along with proof of registration and insurance, to participating CMSP training sites. Classes will run from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Admission fees will vary between $65 to $100, depending upon location. More information about CMSP’s experienced rider refresher training classes can be found at http://cmsp.msi5.com/