May 2011 Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has declared the month of May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.  In support of Motorcycle Safety Awareness, the Los Angeles Police Department will deploy extra officers throughout the month to patrol areas frequented by motorcyclists and to crack down on traffic violations made by motorcyclists and other vehicle drivers that lead to deadly and injury related motorcycle traffic collisions.

Motorcycle fatalities steadily increased in California  during the years 1998-2008, increasing 175 percent over that 10 year period; 204 fatalities in 1998 to 560 in 2008. That trend has stopped for now and data shows a 30 percent decrease in 2009 to 394 motorcyclists’ deaths.  Despite this dramatic improvement, California remains one of three states that lead the nation in motorcyclist deaths.

Tip of the Month:  If you are new to riding or haven’t ridden a motorcycle in awhile, the Los Angeles Police Department strongly encourages you to attend a California Motorcyclist Safety Program.  Information on this program is available at www.CA-msp.org or 1-877 RIDE 411 or 1-877-743-3411. 

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  For further information, please contact Officer Don Inman, Traffic Coordination Section, at (213) 486-0703.