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Oakland Police Cracking Down On Motorcyclists Breaking Laws As Statewide Fatalities Increase

KCBS_740 OAKLAND (KCBS) -- Oakland police will be on the lookout for motorcycle violations Thursday as they focus on safety enforcement after a national report out Thursday morning found a 10% increase in motorcyclist deaths in 2015.

California had the second highest number of motorcycle fatalities during the period studied.

"Per mile driven, motorcyclists have a fatality rate 26-times higher than a passenger vehicle," Kara Macek with the Governor's Highway Safety Association told KCBS.

The demographic experts are starting to worry about might surprise many people.

"We don't want to discourage people from riding, we just want them to be safe about it," Macek said.

Macek said the largest demographic of riders tends to be males, between the ages of 20 and 29, but there is a trend of older riders taking to the streets.

"Folks that may have ridden a motorcycle back in the 60's or 70's, and then decide to get back on and start riding in retirement – baby boomers. It's important that they understand that the driving climate has changed a lot," Macek said.

The survey did not look at the impact of lane-splitting – something that is legal in California, but against the law in many other states.

California's motorcycle-friendly weather could have something to do with the state's higher number of riders.

Earlier in 2016, brazen bikers led Oakland police on a chase before posting video to social media sites.

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