Media sources report that the California Highway Patrol (CHP) intends to increase their presence and enforcement along Highway 2 (Angeles Crest Highway), a winding stretch of highway, when the California State Department of Transportation reopens the road Friday.
The highway’s twisting turns and steep cliffs require that motorcyclists negotiate the road at a controlled speed and with the utmost care, and the CHP plans to remind people of that fact with the help of the Motorcycle Safety Coalition grant. Though the amount of the grant hasn’t been disclosed, it will provide enhanced enforcement by officers through the end of September. The effort will focus primarily on traffic violations made by motorcyclists and other drivers’ violations that could lead to motorcycle collisions, injuries and fatalities.
CHP Public Information Officer Ming-Yang Hsu said, “Angeles Crest has one of the highest accident rates in the state.” He added that the CHP waited to announce the grant until Caltrans were ready to reopen the road.
As a Los Angeles motorcycle accident lawyer, I applaud the efforts of the CHP and admire their forward thinking. According to the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, there were 164 motorcycle-involved accidents along a 38-mile stretch of Highway 2 between January 2007 and December 2008, of which 8 were fatal and 7 of those were due to unsafe speeds. Anything that can help to keep our roads safe is definitely a step in the right direction. If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident because of a negligent driver, contact a local car accident lawyer today. You may be entitled to compensation.
