The California Highway Patrol is launching a year-long educational campaign to reduce the number of collisions involving motorcycles.
California is home to more than 1.3 million licensed motorcyclists, but each each hundreds are killed and thousands are injured. According to preliminary data from the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, the number of motorcyclists killed increased nearly 20 percent from 2010 to 2011. This followed a two-year decline in motorcycle-involved collisions, according to a CHP news release.
"Motorcycle awareness is a priority for the California Highway Patrol and a key to saving lives on the roadway," CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a written statement. "Education combined with enforcement will help reinforce the concept that all motorists need to safely share the road."
The CHP has begun an intensive public awareness campaign that will run through Sept. 30, 2013. In addition to enforcement, the campaign includes educational efforts involving public announcements, social media, public outreach events and statewide presentations on motorcycle safety and sharing the road.
Funding for the campaign was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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