Police check motorcycles for safety

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - State Police and several local agencies launched a wide-scale traffic blitz on Friday. Operation Saddlebag II got underway across western New York.

If you're driving around the region, you may notice a lot of police on highways and some at international bridge crossings as they conduct safety and equipment compliance.

Al Gilbert of Elma said, "I like it. I don't like the idea of any unsafe vehicles on the roads. It's a necessary job they're doing."

That job also involves making sure riders don't get injured by careless motor vehicle drivers.

Trooper Mike Niezgoda said, "That is also part of our mission is to protect the motorcycle rider. They're enthusiasts. This is their hobby. We want to protect them."

News 4 rode along with a State Police patrol unit on area interstates. See more video of that ride along here.

"A lot of crashes involve people pulling out in front of bikes," the trooper explained.

It didn't take long to find drivers breaking traffic laws. One woman had a cell phone up to her ear, talking and driving, unaware of the police car right behind her.

But she found out in a hurry. Police have zero tolerance for distracted driving. Another driver troopers stopped thought it was okay to be on his cell phone because he had it on speaker.

The trooper explained, "When it's in your hand, it's not hands-free, okay?"

That's a common misconception drivers have.

"You can't have it in your hand and be on speaker. You have to be hands-free. So if you're using your speaker phone you have to have the phone mounted to the vehicle or like a GPS," Trooper Niezgoda added.

State Police tell News 4 they inspected about 780 bikes across western New York and issued about 67 tickets. Most of them are helmet violations.