Now that school has resumed, we notice more children enjoying the outdoors by riding their bikes, scooters, and skateboards. The Fillmore Police Department carried out a bicycle safety operation aimed at reaching out to young riders to share safety tips and teach better riding practices.

During the operation, 15 juveniles were contacted riding bicycles without helmets. Per California Vehicle Code 21212(a), persons under 18 years old are required to wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet. Nine of the juveniles contacted did not own properly fitted bicycle helmets. The deputies provided the juveniles with helmets that were generously donated to the station.

The Fillmore Police Department remains committed to protecting our community’s youth and urges all parents, guardians, and young cyclists to prioritize helmet use when cycling. By following this law, we can work together to prevent injuries and create a safer environment for everyone.

Additionally, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office/Fillmore Police Department would like to offer the following tips to help reduce the risk of collisions and improve safety in our community:
Pedestrians

• Be predictable. Use crosswalks when available.

• Take notice of approaching vehicles and practice due care.

• Do not walk or run into a vehicle’s path. At 30 mph, a driver needs at least 90 feet to stop.

• Be visible. Make it easy for drivers to see you – wear light colors, reflective material, and carry a flashlight, particularly at dawn, dusk, or at night.

• Be extra careful crossing streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits.
Drivers

• Follow the speed limit and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.

• Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn.

• Never drive impaired.
Bicyclists

• Obey traffic laws, use hand signals, use lights at night (front white light and rear red reflector), and wear a helmet.

• Bicyclists must travel in the same direction as traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.

• Stay clear of the door zone: avoid riding too close to parked cars.

• If there’s a bike lane, use it, unless making a left turn, passing, or approaching a place where a right turn is allowed.

• Yield to pedestrians. Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians within marked crosswalks or within unmarked crosswalks at intersections.
Funding for this operation was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National
Highway Safety Administration.

Prepared by: Sergeant Corey Stump

News Release Date: September 26, 2025

Approved by: Captain Eduardo Malagon