Contact: Xanthi Soriano, Executive Director, Communications
Cell: (916) 261-6219 • Email: xsoriano@scoe.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 15, 2025
Sacramento, CA—Students in the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) Club Live Program at seven middle schools across Sacramento County are conducting bike safety activities this May as part of National Bicycle Safety Month. Student-created public service announcements are being shown, and bike lights, reflectors, and glow-in-the-dark bracelets are being distributed.
SCOE is reminding everyone to be alert to keep bicyclists safe. With the arrival of warmer weather, more people are biking for commuting, exercise, and recreation, making it essential for all people to look out for one another and save lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 1,105 people killed while riding a bike in 2022, and an estimated 46,195 bicyclists were injured.
“Bicycling is a great means of transportation and recreation, and everyone deserves to ride to their destination safely,” said SCOE Project Specialist Michelle Daggett. “Whether you are behind the wheel or on two wheels, we all share the responsibility to move safely on our roads.”
Club Live is an extension of Friday Night Live for middle school students. The SCOE program operates the Bike and Pedestrian Safety program with funding provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The program is helping middle school youth develop attitudes and habits that promote lifelong traffic safety values, building a foundation that helps students make safe decisions when they become teen drivers. SCOE has been selected to receive the grant every year since 2014.
Safety Tips
The following tips will help keep everyone safe:
Drivers
- Slow down and follow the speed limit. Be careful traveling through intersections.
- Look carefully for bicyclists and pedestrians before making a turn or opening a car door near streets or bike paths.
- Be patient when traveling behind a bicyclist and give them space when passing. California law requires drivers to change a lane, when possible, to pass bicyclists and always pass with at least three feet of space.
- Never drive distracted or impaired.
Bike Riders
- Use lights at night.
- Always wear a properly secured helmet. Although not required for riders 18 and older, helmets significantly reduce the chance of a head injury in the event of a crash.
- Bicyclists must travel in the same direction as traffic. Riders have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.
- Yield to pedestrians, just as a driver would. Pedestrians have the right-of-way within marked or unmarked crosswalks at intersections.