Full Notification

For Immediate Release: August 24, 2019


Traffic Enforcement Operations Plan for Santa Maria

The Santa Maria Police Department will step up Bike & Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operations on Tuesday, August 27, 2019 with focused enforcement on collision causing factors involving motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. Funding for this operation is part of a $385,000 grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

The department has mapped out locations over the past 3 years where pedestrian and bike collisions have occurred along, with the violations that led to those crashes. Extra officers will be on duty patrolling areas where bike and pedestrian traffic and crashes occur in an effort to lower deaths and injuries.

Officers will be looking for violations made by drivers, bike riders and pedestrians alike that can lead to life changing injuries. Special attention will be directed toward drivers speeding, making illegal turns, failing to stop for signs and signals, failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks or any other dangerous violation.

Additionally, enforcement will be taken for observed violations when pedestrians cross the street illegally or fail to yield to drivers who have the right of way. Bike riders will be stopped and citations issued when they fail to follow the same traffic laws that apply to motorists. All riders are reminded to always wear a helmet – those under 18 years of age must wear helmets by law. Pedestrians should cross the street only in marked crosswalks or at corners.

Locally, The Santa Maria Police Department has investigated over 228 injury collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists during the past three (3) years, with 6 of those resulting in fatalities. In 2015, California witnessed at least 310 pedestrian and bicyclists killed nationally; 5987 pedestrians and 840 bicyclists were killed. The Governors Highway Safety Association’s & the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2015 Data reports reveal that California leads the nations in bicycle and pedestrian deaths.

This is one of five different operations that will focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety in our city over the next 12 months. In addition, the grant will provide funding to conduct 77 individual operations for the following traffic-related issues:

• DUI Checkpoints (10)
• DUI Roving Saturations (31)
• General Traffic Enforcement (24)
• Distracted Driving (4)
• Traffic Safety Presentations (3)
• Bike/Pedestrian Operations (5)

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.




Phillip C. Hansen,

Chief of Police

PH/ds

Contact Person: Sergeant Duane Schneider, Traffic Bureau Supervisor
Santa Maria Police Department

Telephone Number: (805) 928-3781 Ext. 1176

E-mail Address: [email protected]