For the month of April Santa Monica police officers will be cracking down on bicyclists who fail to follow the law.
The Santa Monica Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit has been focusing on different driving behaviors each month that are the primary causes of traffic collisions in an effort to make the streets safer for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. Other bad behaviors that have been targeted by the unit include driving while talking on cell phones or texting, driving without a seat belt fastened and failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.
Since Jan. 1, the SMPD has investigated 37 collisions involving cyclists. A majority of the cases involved drivers who were at fault. When a cyclist is at fault, the common causes have ranged from failing to stop at a traffic signal and traveling at an unsafe speed, police said.
“Be careful, be courteous and arrive at your destination safely,” said Interim Police Chief Al Venegas.