Reporting Deputy: Joshua Robertson
File # N/A
Details:
Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage, Calif. — May is National Bicycle Safety Month, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Palm Desert is encouraging drivers to slow down when passing bicyclists, and asks bicyclists to be visible, predictable, and safe on the road.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Palm Desert suggests the following safety tips for bicyclists and drivers:
Drivers
- Slow down and follow the speed limit. Be careful traveling through intersections.
- Look carefully for bicyclists and pedestrians before making a turn or opening a car door near streets or bike paths.
- Be patient when traveling behind a bicyclist. Maintain at minimum three feet of space when passing or overtaking a bicyclist.
- Never drive distracted or impaired.
Bike Riders
- Use lights at night (at minimum, a front white light and rear red reflector).
- Although not required for riders 18 and older, always wear a properly secured helmet. Helmets significantly reduce the chance of a head injury in the event of a crash.
- Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.
- Yield to pedestrians, just as a driver would. Pedestrians have the right-of-way within marked crosswalks or within unmarked crosswalks at intersections.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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