Santa Rosa police conducts motorcycle safety operation

A week after a string of separate motorcycle crashes on Saturday left one man dead and six others injured, Santa Rosa police officials will conduct a daylong motorcycle enforcement operation Friday aimed at raising safety awareness.

Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Summer Black said the enforcement detail had been scheduled before Saturday’s crashes.

But she said the wrecks highlight the need for motorcycle riders and drivers to be more aware of each other.

“The goal overall is awareness,” Black said. “Not every traffic stop we make will result in a ticket. We want to inform motorists about the laws.”

Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday, extra officers will be patrolling areas with a high volume of motorcycle traffic where crashes have most often occurred.

Black said officers will be looking for violations committed by both drivers and riders that can lead to motorcycle crashes.

The operation will not involve checkpoints.

Last Saturday’s fatal crash occurred in the afternoon, on northbound Highway 121 near Burndale Road, southeast of Sonoma.

The wreck claimed the life of Royce Waltrip, 49, who was traveling 40 to 45 mph and approaching stopped traffic when he lost control of his 2014 Honda motorcycle, according to CHP officials.

Waltrip crashed into the rear of a 2005 Toyota and was taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa, where he died.

The driver of the Toyota was not injured.

That same day, there were three other injury crashes involving motorcycles: on Highway 1 near Bodega; near Oakmont in Santa Rosa; and on southbound Highway 101 in Petaluma.

The wreck in Petaluma involved a motorcyclist who was “splitting lanes” on a Harley Davidson when he collided with a Subaru Outback as it changed lanes near Petaluma Boulevard North, officials said.

Police said statewide motorcycle fatalities have increased more than 28 percent since 2010.

That year there were a record low of 352 motorcycle deaths in the state.

But in 2013, there were 453.

The primary cause of motorcycle-involved crashes include speeding, unsafe turning and motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In Santa Rosa, police handled a total of 41 motorcycle crashes in 2014, where 37 people were injured and one person was killed.

A year later, police responded to 59 motorcycle crashes that left 59 injured and two people dead. Five of the crashes in 2015 involved alcohol.

Sgt. Black said that usually when a driver is at fault in a motorcycle crash it is because the driver did not see the motorcycle.

Motorcyclists are often difficult to see and even harder to see when a driver is distracted, she said. When a motorcyclist is at fault, it’s usually because he or she was riding recklessly or was unfamiliar with the motorcycle, Black said.

Drivers should look twice for motorcyclists, especially when entering the roadway, turning or changing lanes, officials said.

The police urge motorcycle riders to get training through the California Motorcyclist Safety Program.

Information and training locations are available at californiamotorcyclist.com or ?877 RIDE 411 (1-877-743-3411).

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.