LB Police Target Motorcyclists In Safety Sweep

It's maybe no coincidence, with the International Motorcycle Shows tour in , but the Long Beach Police Department will conduct a citywide safety check geared toward motorcylists today.

LBPD says that its officers will focus on regions in Long Beach where frequent collisions involving motorcycle riders occur. They'll be looking out for violations involving helmets and other equipment, the department says, and for those driving while impaired and committing other moving violations. (Drivers of automobiles are warned that they'll be subject to scrutiny, as well.)

The LBPD notes in a news release about the Dec. 10 safety check that "motorcycle fatalities in California had increased by 175 percent in the last decade, rising from 204 people killed in 1998, to 560 in 2008," but that's since dropped by about 30 percent, with at least some of the credit stemming from the fact that a greater number of motorcyclists are properly licensed.

Motorcycle training information is available through the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. More information, along with training locations, is available at http://www.ca-msp.org or by calling 1-877-RIDE-411 or 1-877-743-3411.