South OC Times

San Clemente, CA - The Orange County Sheriff's Department is set to conduct a traffic safety operation on Saturday, June 21, in San Clemente. The initiative will focus on addressing dangerous driving behaviors that threaten the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians.

The department aims to target violations such as speeding, illegal turns, failure to yield or provide right of way to bicyclists or pedestrians, and ignoring stop signs and signals.

Sergeant K. Ishii stated, "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 vehicles have. We should all be looking out for one another."

To reduce the risk of accidents or injuries, the Orange County Sheriff's Department has shared several recommendations for drivers and pedestrians:

Pedestrians are advised to use crosswalks when available, remain visible by wearing light colors or reflective materials, and exercise caution when crossing streets at night or busy intersections.

Drivers are encouraged not to speed, especially at intersections, avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting for turns, and never drive under the influence.

Bicyclists should obey traffic laws, use hand signals and lights at night, wear helmets, travel in the direction of traffic, avoid riding too close to parked cars, use bike lanes when possible unless making specific maneuvers like left turns or passing.

The department emphasizes that bicyclists must yield right-of-way to pedestrians within marked or unmarked crosswalks at intersections.