When a driver fails to pay attention or drives in a hurry, there is no one more vulnerable than a pedestrian walking alongside the street. A pedestrian generally does not have the time to jump free of an oncoming vehicle or protect themselves from injury when they are struck by pounds of metal. Police across California have begun to focus on reducing the number of pedestrian accidents that occur annually across the state.
On the Wednesday of Thanksgiving weekend, a big day for traffic, the Stockton, California police cited 92 motorists after they drove too close to a pedestrian walking in the crosswalk. Law enforcement officials with the Stockton Police Department told reporters that 9 people were killed in a pedestrian accident this year and that three of the fatalities occurred while the pedestrian was using the crosswalk.
Even when a driver is aware of a pedestrian in the designated crosswalk, police officials warn that failing to wait for the pedestrian to fully leave the roadway can lead to serious injury. Stockton police set up a trap for local drivers by waiting around the corner while they watched an undercover officer repeatedly walk through an intersection, properly using the crosswalk to observe drivers.
“People get distracted and get in a hurry,” one officer said when discussing the reason for the sting. “They need to pay attention especially during the holidays.”
While motorists were the planned target of the sting, officers also wrote eight citations to pedestrians who created their own danger by not using the crosswalk provided for their safety.
Source: ABC News10 “Stockton police set pedestrian trap for drivers” Tim Daly 11/24/10
