The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has declared May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

In support of the program, the Los Angeles Police Department will deploy extra officers throughout the month to patrol areas frequented by motorcyclists and to crack down on traffic violations committed by motorcyclists and other drivers that lead to traffic collisions. Motorcycle fatalities steadily increased in California  from 1998 to 2008, increasing 175 percent over the 10 year period. During that time, fatalities went from 204 in 1998 to 560 in 2008. While the trend has remained steady or decreased slightly during the past two-and-a-half years, police plan to continue aggressively addressing the problem.

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Los Angeles Police Department strongly encourages new riders, or those who haven’t ridden in a while, to attend a California Motorcyclist Safety Program. For information, call (877)743-3411, or visit www.CA-msp.org.