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Ventura County Sheriff's Office
Tuesday May 4th, 2021 :: 12:04 p.m. PDT

Community

National Bicycle Safety Month

Nature of Incident: National Bicycle Safety Month
Location: Ventura County, Ca
 
Date & Time: May, 2021
Unit(s) Responsible: Camarillo Police Department Traffic Bureau
Narrative:
 
May is Bicycle Safety Month: Share the Road and “Go Safely”
 
Ventura County, Ca — May is National Bicycle Safety Month, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging drivers to slow down when passing bicyclists, and asks bicyclists to be visible, predictable, and safe on the road.
 
“Bicyclists are safest when they act like and are treated the same as drivers,” says Captain Shane Matthews. “Please share the road with bicyclists and think of them as your closest friends or family. We all want to get where we need to go safely, whether that is in the car or on a bike.”
 
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office suggests the following safety tips for bicyclists and drivers:
Drivers
  • Slow down. Give at least three to five feet of space when passing a bike.
  • Wait for a safe place to pass when driving behind a bike, especially on narrow roads. California law requires drivers to provide at least three feet of space between a vehicle and bicycle.
  • If making a right turn, assume a bicyclist is traveling through the intersection unless they signal otherwise.
  • When making a left turn, yield to oncoming bicyclists just as you would for other drivers.
  • Look for cyclists before opening a car door.
  • Never drive distracted or impaired.
Bike Riders
  • Be predictable, safe, and seen: obey traffic laws, use hand signals, use lights at night (front white light and rear red reflector), and wear a helmet.
  • Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.
  • Avoid the door zone: do not ride too closely to parked cars.
  • If there’s a bike lane, use it, unless making a left turn, passing, or approaching a place where a right turn is allowed.
  • Yield to pedestrians. Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians 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.
 
 
Prepared by: Sgt. Paul Richards  
News Release Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2021  
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sgt. Paul Richards (805) 388-5132
[email protected]
 		  
Approved by:
 
 
 		 Capt. Shane Matthews  

Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511

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