By Lookout Staff

March 24, 2016 -- The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) will be on the lookout for those violating bicycle safety rules this Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Bike & Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operation will focus on the locations where pedestrian and cyclist collisions are prevalent "in an effort to lower death and injuries," said Sgt. Rudy Camarena, the Police Department spokesman.

"Officers will be looking for violations engaged in by drivers, bike riders and pedestrians alike that can lead to life changing injuries," Camarena said.

"Special attention will be directed toward drivers speeding, making illegal turns, failing to stop for signs and signals, failing to yield to pedestrians in cross walks and similar dangerous violations," he added.

Police will also be on the lookout for pedestrians crossing the street illegally or failing to yield to drivers who have the right of way, Camarena said. They also will cite bicyclists who fail to follow the same traffic laws that apply to motorists.

All bicyclists should wear a helmet; and those under 18 years of age are required to wear them by law. Pedestrians should cross the street only in marked crosswalks or at corners.

More bicycles are sharing Santa Monica streets with motorists and pedestrians after the City launched its Breeze bike share program citywide last November.

The program, which makes 500 rental bikes available at 75 docking stations in the bayside city, is adding five stations in neighboring Venice ("Santa Monica to Share Breeze Bike Program with Venice," February 22, 2016).

On May 20, the arrival of train service to Santa Monica will add thousands
of new pedestrians to the city's streets, especially Downtown. As many as
400 passengers are expected to get on and off the trains every five minutes
during peak hours ("Trains to Roll into Santa Monica for First Time in 50 Years on May 20", February 26, 2016.

Bicycle fatalities in California decreased from 147 in 2013 to 128 in 2014, a drop of 12.9 percent, according to the latest statistics from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Pedestrian fatalities also decreased, from 734 in 2013 to 697 in 2014, a drop of 5 percent, although the numbers increased slightly among those 65 and older, from 179 in 2013 to 183 in 2014, or a 2.2 percent increase.

Still, California leads the nation in bicycle and pedestrian deaths, according to state and federal officials.

(2015 Preliminary Data Published March 2016) (Governors Highway Safety Association http://www.ghsa.org)

Funding for the Bike & Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.