A friendly reminder to share the road

Across the nation, auto crashes are on the rise this year. Unfortunately, we are seeing an uptick here in our city as well. From lower speed limits, to additional stop signs, to enhanced enforcement, the

Long Beach Police Department’s traffic division is dedicated to doing everything it can to reduce the number of crashes occurring on our streets.

Now that the summer is drawing to a close and school is back in session, the LBPD has partnered with AAA to promote the “School’s Open — Drive Carefully” awareness campaign.

The six core tenets of this campaign include slow down, come to a complete stop, eliminate distractions, reverse responsibly, watch for bicycles, and talk to your teen. With children traveling to and from school, this program emphasizes the importance of being particularly vigilant for pedestrians before and after school hours. Statistics show that the afternoon hours are especially dangerous as nearly one in four child pedestrian fatalities have occurred between 3 and 7 p.m. in the last decade.

Another area our traffic division focuses on is ensuring that everyone remembers to buckle up for safety. In fact, just last week, we were fortunate enough to have been awarded a $15,000 grant from New York State, allowing us to participate in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Program. The goal of this particular program is to increase seat-belt usage and reduce dangerous driving behaviors in an effort to reduce serious injury and death from traffic crashes.

In addition, the Police Department was proud to partner with AT&T in August, promoting the “It Can Wait” campaign, which is designed to discourage folks from texting and driving. Many believe that the rise in crashes can be tied in part to the increasing number of drivers who are distracted by their cell phones. Statistics show that texting and driving is equally as dangerous as drinking and driving. When you take your eyes off the road to look at your phone, you are jeopardizing your life as well as the lives of drivers and passengers in cars all around you. We strongly encourage you to silence your phones and keep them out of reach while driving — these simple precautions make the road safer for everyone.

We also feel that it is important to remind bicyclists to obey the same traffic laws that motorists follow. Going with the flow of traffic and stopping at stop at stop signs are two simple laws that bicyclists absolutely need to follow. Not only do these rules help prevent crashes, they will also minimize the damage if an accidental collision occurs.

In terms of bicycle safety, the LPBD partnered with the New York Coalition for Transportation Safety to hold an event that include bike safety tips, maintenance checks, bicycle registrations, and helmet fitting. The event culminated in a fun, guided trip along a scenic Long Beach ride to lemonade stands stationed around the city.

In recent years, we have taken numerous precautions to help keep our streets safe for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, alike. We hope that you will continue to be mindful of others while traveling and remember to share the road. As the city slogan says, “Sand, Surf, & Safety First — Drive, Bike, Walk Responsibly.”

Michael Tangney is the commissioner of the Long Beach Police Department.