Children under the age of 15 account for about 29% of pedestrian victims and about 28% of bicycle victims. Watch for pedestrians and drive slower near: (a) crosswalks, (b) schools, (c) buses, (d) school zones, (e) parked cars, (f) shopping centers, (g) in business districts, (h) playgrounds, (i) residential streets, (j) shopping centers, (k) parking lots, and (l) downtown areas. You should increase the cushion of space in front of your vehicle to at least 4 seconds when you see a bus or school bus ahead. Do not drive faster than 25 miles per hour near school bus stops if there are children present. Watch for children who may dart out before the school bus arrives or after school bus has departed. Over 100 bicyclists are killed each year in California. CHP Every six hours a bicyclist is fatally injured in the US. 49% of all bicyclist deaths occur to youths age 16 or younger. 86% of all bicycle accidents involve an automobile or truck. Motorists failing to yield the right-of-way to a bicycle cause 42% of bicycle-related accidents. 39% of bicycle accidents occur because cars make turns without noticing bicyclists. 87% of bicyclists in California who die in an accident were not wearing a safety helmet. Riding on the left side of the street, against traffic, is one of the most dangerous things a bicyclist can do. About 33% of all car and bicycle accidents involved wrong way bicycle riders and most occur at intersections and involve turning or crossing motorists. Bicyclists should watch for chasing dogs. They should try to ignore them, or try a firm, loud "NO". If the dog doesn't stop, they should dismount with their bike between them and the dog. Dogs are attracted by the spinning of wheels and feet. If you accidentally kill or injure an animal, you should: (a) pull over, (b) try to locate the owner, (c) call the humane society, police, or CHP, (d) never leave the injured animal to die, and (e) never try to move an injured animal. These procedures were outlined in more detail in Unit 8. In 9 out 0f 10 fatal crashes between cars and trucks, the occupants of the car are killed In almost two-thirds of fatal crashes, the impact point is at the front of the truck, suggesting that most fatal crashes are within the forward view of the truck driver. The average passenger vehicle traveling at 55 MPH can stop in about 400 feet. A large truck traveling at the same speed can take almost 800 feet to stop. That is twice the braking distance that the passenger vehicles requires to stop. Even though the speed limit may be 65 MPH for you, it may be only 55 or 35 MPH for these other vehicles. A truck may have 2-3 times more power under the hood than a passenger vehicle, but it must pull 30-40 times more when than a passenger vehicle engine. The truck may have to go through 10 gears to reach the speed limit. Some vehicles have trouble keeping up with the speed of traffic. Examples include: (a) horse-drawn carriages, (b) construction equipment, (c) farm tractors, and (d) old historical vehicles. These vehicles usually travel at 25 MPH or lower. There have been 149 Caltrans employees who have been killed in the line of duty. One of the biggest hazards is from motorists who do not exercise caution while driving where highway workers are present. In the last 5 years, in California, there have been 30,000 collisions, 16,000 injuries and nearly 300 deaths due to inattentive drivers crashing in highway work zones. In the last 10 years, 98% of all people who have died in work zone crashes have been motorists The most common crash in a highway work zone is the rear end collision; one in three crashes in work zones is a rear-end collision. The two major reasons for work zone crashes: Speeding and inattentive driving Stay behind the snowplow at least 300-500 feet. If you follow too closely to a snowplow when it is sanding or salting the roadway, your vehicle may get pelted with sand and salt. Remember that each loaded snowplow weighs 50,000 pounds. An average vehicle weighs 3,000 pounds. Do not tempt fate. You may be arrested if you drive for sight-seeing purposes to the scene of a fire, accident, or other disaster. You could interfere with the essential services of police, fire fighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue or emergency personnel. It is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any emergency vehicle which is answering an emergency call. Motorcycles are greatly overrepresented in fatal crashes in the United States. The death rate per registered motorcycle is more than three times the death rate per registered passenger car. The likelihood of injury is extremely high in motorcycle accidents. 98% of multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in more than a minor injury. Over the last 5 years, motorcycle victims killed have decreased 31.3%. This is likely due to the combined effects of the training classes that are now required of younger riders and the mandatory helmet law. CHP 09.I.02(4) The fatality rate for unlicensed riders is three times that of licensed riders, and for the past 10 years, an average of 65% of all fatally injured motorcyclists have been operating without a valid motorcycle endorsement. More than 50% of motorcycle accident-involved riders had less than five months' riding experience or less than 500 miles of motorcycle riding experience. The most frequently occurring crash type was running off the road, followed by running a traffic control, oncoming (i.e., headon), left-turn oncoming, and motorcyclist down. Taken together, these five most frequent types account for 86% of all motorcycle crashes Intersections are the most likely place for a motorcycle accident, because of other vehicles violating the motorcycle's right-of-way and often violating traffic controls. Before riding, a motorcyclist should conduct a pre-ride inspection of the motorcycle during which he or she checks the: (a) tires, (b) rims or mags, (c) brakes and clutch, (d) chain, (e) horn and lights, and (f) for oil or fuel leaks. Motorcyclists must follow all of the same rules as motor vehicles including: (a) stopping for stop signs and red lights, (b) riding with the flow of traffic, (c) use of left-hand turn lanes and turn signals, (d) speeding laws, (e) rules against impeding traffic, (f) using lights at night, (f) yielding the right-of-way when entering a roadway, and (g) laws prohibiting riding while intoxicated. Motorcyclists must obey all traffic signals and signs. Although it is not illegal for motorcycles to share lanes, it is unsafe Motorcycles can use car pool lanes unless posted otherwise. Motorcyclists should use both the front and rear brakes for everything but leisurely stops. The front brake has the most stopping power on a motorcycle. Too much front brake can result in the front wheel locking and being thrown over the handle bars. Motorcyclists should use both the front and rear brakes for everything but leisurely stops. The front brake has the most stopping power on a motorcycle. Too much front brake can result in the front wheel locking and being thrown over the handle bars. In any given year, over 400 people die and an additional 1,300 or more are seriously injured in highway-rail grade crossing collisions. Over 1,000 people are injured or killed while trespassing on railroad rights-of-way and property each year. A trains strikes a pedestrian or vehicle about once every two hours. The impact of a train with a vehicle has the same ratio as a vehicle running over an aluminum can. Nearly 50% of collisions at public grade crossings occur where active warning devices (gates, lights, bells) exist. Train and pedestrian or motor vehicle crashes are very severe. A motorist is 40 times as likely to die in a collision with a train as in all other types of motor vehicle accidents. 09.J.02( There are approximately 260,000 public, private, and pedestrian at-grade crossings in the United States. 09.J.02(7) More people die in highway-rail collisions each year than in commercial airline crashes in an average year. 09.J.02(8) The majority of vehicle-train crashes occur when the train is traveling less than 30 miles per hour. 09.J.03 Trains, characteristics of, stopping distance 09.J.03(1) Trains cannot stop quickly. The stopping distance for a freight train of approximately 6,000 tons, traveling at 55 mph, is 5,280 feet -- one mile. At that distance, the train crew cannot see you on the tracks. 09.J.03(2) An average freight train traveling at 30 mph, or an eight-car passenger traveling at 60 mph, require 2/3 of a mile (3,500 feet) to stop. 09.J.03(3) An eight-car passenger train traveling at 79 mph requires 1and 1/8 miles (6000 feet) to stop. If during the last 100 feet approaching the crossing, you cannot see the track for at least 400 feet in both directions, you may not cross the tracks at a speed faster than 15 MPH. You may go faster than 15 MPH if the crossing is controlled by gates, a warning signal, or a flagperson. It is illegal to pass another vehicle by driving in lanes of oncoming traffic on or within 100 feet of a railroad crossing. You may not park within 7.5 feet of a railroad track. A court may suspend your license for up to 6 months for failing to stop at a railroad crossing when you are required to do so. You should stop at least 15 feet from railroad tracks when: (a) a person or signal warns you that a train is coming, (b) you see a train coming, or (c) you hear the horn or bell of a train close by. CDH: 50-51 CVC: 22451 09.J.05(3) Railroad crossbuck signs are present at almost all public railroad crossings. Treat them the same as a yield sign. You should slow down and stop if a train approaches the crossing. You may continue once the crossing is clear. If there is more than one track, a sign below the crossbuck indicates the number of tracks. Many grade crossings have flashing red light signals combined with crossbuck signs. Some also have bells which ring to warn of approaching trains. You must treat these devices the same way you would a red traffic light. Always stop when the lights begin to flash and/or the bell rings; this means a train is coming. If there is more than one track, make sure all tracks are clear before crossing. Do not continue through the railroad crossing until it is clear and the lights stop flashing. CVC: 22451 09.J.05(7) Remember that flashing red lights at a railroad crossing always mean to stop completely and immediately at least 15 feet before the tracks. When a bus or streetcar is stopped at a safety zone or at an intersection where traffic is controlled by a police officer or traffic signal, you may pass as long as it is safe to do so and at no faster than 10 MPH. Some freeways have special lanes and on-ramps for carpools. Using a carpool lane requires a minimum of 2 or 3 people in a vehicle, including the driver. Carpool lanes cover 925 lane miles of the California state highway system and plans are underway to double this system over the next 20 years.