The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has received a federal grant to improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists throughout California. The grant furthers the Department’s mission to help save lives, with a focus on the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

“We are asking drivers to be courteous and alert to pedestrians and bicyclists on the roadways,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “This grant will help us increase traffic safety by providing more education for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.”

California has seen an increase in the number of traffic-related pedestrian and bicyclist collisions. The most recent data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System reveals 752 pedestrians and 164 bicyclists were killed in collisions statewide in 2013, a 6.6 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities and a 10.6 percent increase in bicyclist fatalities from the previous year.

The California Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Enforcement and Education Project III grant began Oct. 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, 2016. During this 12-month statewide campaign, CHP officers will use pedestrian and bicyclist collision information to enhance enforcement and public education campaigns. Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The CHP’s enforcement efforts will include California’s 3-Feet for Safety law, which requires drivers to keep a minimum distance of three feet between any part of a motor vehicle and a bicycle.

The CHP’s educational efforts will include presentations that promote safe pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist behavior; bike rodeos; and distributing pedestrian and bicycle safety materials.