Sheriff’s Office to conduct traffic safety operation next week

GOLETA, Calif. – Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies in Goleta are hosting a traffic safety operation on Tuesday, March 29 to educate drivers on the most dangerous behaviors that put bikers and pedestrians at risk.

“We all have places to be and not everyone gets there by car,” Traffic Supervisor Sergeant Noel Rivas said. “Bicyclists and pedestrians have the same rights to the road but face even more risk without the protections vehicles have. We should all be looking out for one another.”

The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The dangerous behaviors include speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield or provide the right of way to bicyclists or pedestrians, or failing to stop for signs and signals, said sheriff's spokeswoman Raquel Zick.

The Sheriff's Office offered tips that everyone can take to reduce the risk of getting injured or in a crash.

For pedestrians, those include:

• 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 it 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 streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits.

For drivers:

• Follow the speed limit and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.
• Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn.
• Never drive impaired.

For 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.