Best Foot Forward works diligently with local and national media to help spread the message of pedestrian safety and raise awareness of Florida’s driver yield law. Best Foot Forward is happy to set up interviews with partners. Please contact Emily Bush or Vince Dyer at [email protected] or 407.542.6074.
All materials, including logos are available for download for use in news articles and stories.
Logos can be used for media coverage or by our partners only.
The Best Foot Forward for pedestrian safety program is administered by the local non-profit Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF). Best Foot Forward was created to reverse the conflict between pedestrians and drivers by focusing on one specific behavior change – getting more drivers to yield for pedestrians at marked crosswalks as Florida law requires. More than a campaign, Best Foot Forward is a behavior change-based program designed to improve road safety through consistent and persistent education, high-visibility crosswalk enforcement, and low-cost engineering at marked crosswalks near elementary schools and LYNX bus stops, in urban areas and cross-sections of low and high-speed roads.
Best Foot Forward operates in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Brevard, Marion, and Volusia Counties and is the largest pedestrian-focused grassroots coalition in the nation, working with more than 35 local and regional partners. Since launching in 2012, the percentage of drivers yielding to people in marked crosswalks has increased from 17% to more than 52% on roads with a speed limit of 35 mph and lower and 2% to 43% on roads 40 mph and higher.
Dangerous by Design report listing Central Florida as one of the most deadly places for pedestrians in the country.
Past press releases are available for download (pdf):
2024
2023
01.27.23 50% of Drivers Fail to Yield at Crosswalks Within a 1/4 Mile of Schools
04.16.23 Officers and Deputies Team Up to Protect Trail Users
2022
11.10.22 Police to Conduct Crosswalk Crackdown Ahead of World Day of Remembrance
05.06.22 11 Law Enforcement Agencies Team Up to Protect Trail Users
2021
11.08.21 End of Daylight Savings Time Triggers a Deadly Risk for Pedestrians
07.24.21 Enforcement of Driver Yield Law Prior to Back to School
03.09.21 Pedestrian Risks Rising on Central Florida Streets – Operation Best Foot Forward this Month
2020
07.02.20 Local Law Enforcement Agencies Conduct Crosswalk Crackdown as More Drivers Get Back on Road
Bike/Walk Central Florida Announces New Executive Director: Emily Hanna
02/14/20: Largest Crosswalk Enforcement Operation set for Feb. 18 in Seminole County
2019
10/02/191:Media Alert: Best Foot Forward Launches in Seminole County- Spanish
06/26/19: Law Enforcement Target Unsafe Drivers to Protect Children, Seniors
06/19/19: Law Enforcement Target Unsafe Drivers to Protect Children, Seniors
04/19/19: Stopping Distracted Driving: Crosswalk Crackdown Coming to Osceola County
03/24/19: Spring Break Brings Crosswalk Crackdown in Orange County and Orlando
2018
08/15/18: Crosswalk Crackdown Planned in Kissimmee & Osceola County on Wed., August 15
04/16/18: Operation Best Foot Forward Begins in Osceola County
02/07/18: Operation Best Foot Forward: OPD and OSCO Hit the Roads in Crosswalk Crackdown
Bike/Walk Central Florida manages and administers the Best Foot Forward program on behalf of coalition partners.
