Newsroom
News Release
Motorcycle Helmet and Safety Enforcement
March 29, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE
PLEASE CONTACT KEITH PAUL, (702) 267-4510
Henderson, Nev. – The Henderson Police Department’s Traffic Unit, working with other area law enforcement, will be targeting motorcycle safety and distracted drivers over the next two weeks.
Henderson Police Traffic officers will use saturation patrols looking for motorcycles riders not obeying the rules of the roadways and not wearing helmets that meet federal safety standards. Officers will also look for automobile drivers distracted by cell phones.
In the United States, 4,462 people were killed in motorcycle accidents in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a traffic accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Last year, 40 motorcyclists died in fatal accidents on Nevada roadways and so far this year, six motorcyclists died on Clark County roadways. There have been no motorcycle rider fatalities in Henderson this year.
Each year in Nevada there are more than 3,500 distracted-related crashes and there have been 71 fatalities since 2005, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.
Last month Henderson Police officers issued 245 citations to drivers for violation of the newly enacted law banning the use of cell phones while driving.
The Henderson Police Traffic Unit received funding from the Department of Public Safety - Office of Traffic Safety, as part of the Joining Forces Grant. The grant provides funding for enforcement and education to reduce deaths and injuries on Nevada roadways. The grant will assist in funding special enforcement details throughout the year targeting seat belt usage, DUIs, pedestrian safety and speeding violations.
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