Indio Police to conduct Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Operation
Cynthia White
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Indio police announce they will be conducting a Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Operation on Thursday.
The Operation, focused on dangerous driver behaviors that threaten the safety of people biking or walking, will be held from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
IPD points out that violations include speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield or give the right of way to bicyclists or pedestrians, or failing to stop for signs and signals.
Indio Police Sergeant P. Fuentes says, “We all have places to be and not everyone gets there by car. Bicyclists and pedestrians have the same rights to the road but face even more risk without the protections that vehicles have. We should all be looking out for one another.”
The Indio Police Department offers these steps to stay safe:
Pedestrians:
Be predictable. Use crosswalks when available.
Take notice of approaching vehicles and practice due care.
Do not walk or run into the path of a vehicle. At 30 mph, a driver needs at least 90 feet to stop.
Be visible. Make is easy for drivers to see you – wear light colors, reflective material and carry a flashlight, particularly at dawn, dusk, or at night.
Be extra careful crossing the streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits.
Drivers:
Do not speed, and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks, and between intersections where pedestrians may cross.
Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn.
Never drive impaired.
Bicyclists:
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, and between intersections where pedestrians may cross.