Twenty-Nine Cited For Traffic Safety Violations

Deputies in La Quinta have issued citations to 29 drivers during a recent crackdown on Thursday August 4th 2022.

It was part of an effort to reduce crashes involving pedestrians and people riding bicycles.

29 drivers were cited for driving at unsafe speeds, using cell phones while driving, failing to stop at stop signs and red lights, failing to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists. Two drivers were charged with driving without a license, and two drivers were booked into the Indio Jail for outstanding criminal warrants.

The operation took place on the south side of La Quinta, and along Highway 111.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department,  and the City of La Quinta,  offer steps drivers and pedestrians can take to greatly reduce the risk of getting injured or in a crash:

Pedestrians:

• Be predictable. Use crosswalks, when available.
• Take notice of approaching vehicles and practice due care.
• Do not walk or run into the path of a vehicle. At 30 mph, a driver needs at least 90 feet to stop.
• Be visible. Make it easy for drivers to see you – wear light colors, reflective material and carry a flashlight, particularly at dawn, dusk or at night.
• Be extra careful crossing streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits.

Drivers

• Follow the speed limit and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.
• Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn.
• Never drive impaired.

Bicyclists

• Obey traffic laws, use hand signals, use lights at night (front white light and rear red reflector), and wear a helmet.
• Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.
• Avoid the door zone: do not ride too closely to parked cars.
• If there’s a bike lane, use it, unless making a left turn, passing, or approaching a place where a right turn is allowed.
• Yield to pedestrians. Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians within marked crosswalks or within unmarked crosswalks at intersections.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Police officer walking towards a car that has been pulled over for a traffic violation.

Photo from Alpha Media Portland OR