Napa Police: A Traffic Enforcement Operation Is Taking Place In The City On Saturday

NAPA, CA -- The Napa Police Department say it's stepping up bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operations this Saturday, April 22, with focused enforcement on collision causing factors involving motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

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

The Police Department says that officers will be looking for violations made by drivers, bike riders and pedestrians alike that can lead to life changing injuries, and that special attention will be directed toward drivers speeding, making illegal turns, failing to stop for signs and signals, failing to yield to pedestrians in cross walks or any other dangerous violation.

Additionally, the NPD says, 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 and that 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," the department said in a statement announcing the enforcement operation. "Pedestrians should cross the street only in marked crosswalks or at corners."

The Napa Police Department said it has investigated 89 injury collisions involving pedestrians and 85 injury collisions involving bicyclists during this same three year period. In 2013, California saw 701 pedestrians and 141 bicyclists killed, accounting for more than 28 percent of all traffic fatalities, according to data.

Image via Napa police