CHP Issues Press Release on GEARS Grant
Earlier this month, the Commander of the Office of Community Outreach & Media Relations for the California Highway Patrol (CHP), which is headquartered in Sacramento, California, issued a press release regarding the renewal of the GEARS grant that will be used to promote a campaign focusing on motorcycle safety awareness.
Federal Monies Aimed at Saving Riders’ Lives
The new grant is federally funded and will be implemented by the CHP with the goal of reducing the risks that are associated with riding a motorcycle, which they ultimately hope will save lives. The time period for the safety campaign that is being paid for by the federal grant is October 1st of this year through the end of September 2022.
This is the Fourth Year for the GEARS Grant
The campaign is entitled Get Educated and Ride Safe (GEARS) IV, and it is the fourth iteration of the campaign, which has also been promoted in prior years. The goal of the program is to decrease the number of crashes that involve motorcycles by educating the public on safety issues and via additional law enforcement efforts.
Encouraging Motorcycle Crash Statistics in California
Statistics in California show that the number of yearly motorcycle crashes has been on the decline. During the federal fiscal year of 2018-2019, there was a roughly 10 percent decrease in crashes involving motorcycles throughout our state. If the provisional data holds up, the following fiscal year (2019-2020) resulted in a 20 percent drop in the number of motorcycle crashes. Despite the promising declines, during the fiscal year 2019-2020, there were still 6,849 collisions involving motorcycles, as well as 306 fatalities and 6,118 injuries within the jurisdiction of the CHP.
The GEARS IV campaign will seek to bolster the encouraging decrease in statewide motorcycle crashes by supporting the CHP’s education and enforcement efforts.
Elements of the Campaign Funded by the GEARS Grant
Within the one-year period during which the grant is active, the CHP will promote educational traffic safety campaigns, one of which will be in May 2022. May is designated as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The motorcycle safety campaigns will reinforce the importance of all riders using a U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant helmet. Another crucial element of the safety campaigns is to remind other vehicle motorists that they must share the roads with motorcycles. The campaign will remind vehicle drivers that they need to maintain an awareness of motorcyclists on the road at all times. Finally, additional enforcement efforts by the CHP will take place in areas that see a high number of crashes involving motorcycles.
Where Does the GEARS Grant Money Come From?
The funding for the motorcycle safety awareness campaign is through a California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant. The OTS operates under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Watch the YouTube video. The humorous clip below, posted by a Northern California area office of the CHP, discusses the agency’s rider safety program.
Sacramento Personal Injury Attorneys
Hello, and thanks for stopping by and reading our report on the CHP GEARS grant renewal. My name is Ed Smith, and I am a Sacramento personal injury attorney. My firm has been advocating for injured people within the greater Sacramento region and beyond for close to four decades. If you or a family member has suffered injuries caused by a negligent motorist, please reach out to the experienced injury attorneys at our firm at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. We are happy to offer free and friendly legal advice. If you prefer, you can send your inquiries to us via our online form.
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Photo: by Harley-Davidson via Unsplash
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