Huntington Beach Police respond to the recent increase in motorcycle accidents by creating a safety program.
With the help from a state grant, the Huntington Beach Police will launch a specialized enforcement detail. The detail will target both unsafe drivers and riders. Unsafe drivers put motorcyclists at risk, and unsafe riders increase risk of accident for other motorists on the road.
The state office of Traffic and Safety will be assisting in this program by providing a grant. The grant will pay for the Huntington Beach Police Department’s Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation. This program will put six extra officers in the field in areas motorcyclists frequently ride. These areas include Pacific coast Highway and beach Boulevard.
The grant is a little more than $90,000. It will cover this program and certain specialized enforcement. Specialized enforcement efforts include more DUI checkpoints and distracted driving enforcement. Police will not only be targeting motorcyclists, but also reckless drivers who endanger motorcyclists.
Police will have to use their own experience to determine the best places to patrol. Motorcycle accidents can happen anywhere. Police will be targeting places in Huntington Beach that have a high volume of motorcycles.
Enforcement will specifically be looking for drivers who speed, perform unsafe turns, and drivers under the influence. These particularly reckless driving acts are the three most common causes of accidents involving motorcycles. Speeding drivers have difficult avoiding motorcyclists. A driver performing an unsafe turn puts motorcyclists in danger. Drivers under the influence have slower reactions time. Police hope this new enforcement program will make drivers and motorcyclists more responsible.
Since November, there have been four motorcycle fatalities in Huntington Beach. The most recent was an unfortunate story of a newly engaged couple. 25 year old Kelly Blue Morehouse was killed in a motorcycle accident. She was riding on the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle. The collision took place on June 1. They were riding on Goldenwest Street when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver. The drunken driver was traveling in the opposite direction. A 42 year old man was killed on March 24 at Springdale Street and McFadden Avenue. A 66 year old man died in a motorcycle accident on March 5 on Bolsa Chica Street and Pierce Drive. Lastly, singer of a death-metal band, Mitchell Lucker, crashed his Harley Davidson into a pole on November 1.
Motorcyclists are incredibly vulnerable to car accidents. They have little protection to minimize injuries. It is important for drivers and motorcyclists to drive cautiously. If you are ever in a car accident, do not hesitate to contact a Huntington Beach car accident attorney.