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Los Angeles Mayor Unveils New Bicycle Safety Campaign

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is a man on a bicycle safety mission.  Last month, the mayor narrowly escaped serious injuries in a bicycle accident caused when a taxi cut off abruptly in front of him.  That experience has enlightened the mayor about the threat to Los Angeles bicyclists.  Since the crash, he has come out strongly in support of bicycle safety, and this week he unveiled a new bicycle safety campaign.

On Tuesday, Mayor Villaraigosa announced the launch of the campaign that encourages motorists to maintain a 3-feet distance from bicyclists.  Around the city of Los Angeles, posters are going up, encouraging motorists to give bicyclists a 3 foot safety buffer while driving.  Many of these have been posted at some of the city’s most congested streets where bicyclists have the highest danger of being involved in an accident from motorists who simply drive too close.  Currently, the campaign is restricted to posters, but there are plans for a series of television commercials promoting bicycle safety in Los Angeles.  The “Give Me Three” campaign includes a poster featuring a bicyclist and a car with the number 3 on prominent display.

The poster campaign has been paid for by the Department Of Transportation.  These will be installed at more than 150 points around Los Angeles, including a higher concentration at some of the city’s most congested streets.

It’s not the first time since his July accident that the Mayor has come out strongly in support of bicycle safety programs.  The mayor suffered a fractured elbow in the accident, and fortunately, managed to avoid head injuries because he was wearing a helmet.  Earlier this month, he held a bike safety summit in Los Angeles where bicycle safety groups were encouraged to meet the mayor and discuss their concerns for safety in Los Angeles.  At the summit, the mayor expressed his support for a statewide legislation that would require motorists to maintain a 3-foot safety distance from bicyclists.  He also announced a significant expansion of the city’s bicycle network plan.  The city Council plans to build more than 1,600 miles of bike lanes over the next few years.  The proposals have been greatly welcomed by even the most cynical bicycle safety enthusiast.  More numbers of bike lanes will mean that more numbers of bikers in Los Angeles will be able to ride safely without the risk of sharing the road with traffic.

The announcement of this poster campaign indicates to California bicycle accident lawyers that the mayor is very serious about following up on all his safety promises.  What’s more, the mayor is promising more bike safety initiatives in the months ahead.  We hope the Mayor’s commitment to bike safety continues and leads to more solid measures that can truly keep bicyclists safe.  Strong legislation to hold motorists accountable, enhanced bicycle accident reporting programs, and training of police officers to respond appropriately to bicycle accident situations-all of these can do a lot to keep Los Angeles bicyclists safer.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of bicycle accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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