UCF Police Chief’s Message of Caution for Drivers and Peds

“You should never drive distracted, but especially on a campus with a lot of pedestrian traffic.”

That’s just one of the important messages from the University of Central Florida’s police chief. UCF police have  been working to make campus safer for pedestrians and cyclists. As part of their campaign, chief Carl Metzger narrates a video, released in January, explaining the rules of the road to drivers on campus.

“You [drivers] must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks,” he says in the video, “Even if you have a green light”

Metzger also encourages pedestrians to put away their phones, always use marked crosswalks, and pay attention to drivers.

On March 20, Orange County deputies held a crosswalk crackdown, dubbed Operation BFF at seven crosswalks, including one at Alafaya Trail and University Drive. During the operation, a plainclothes deputy walked across a marked crosswalk. Other deputies watched for drivers that didn’t yield to the pedestrian– and gave them a $164 citation. Records show that between 2006 and 2014, nearly 260 crashes were reported at University Boulevard and North Alafaya Trail — 207 of which involved injuries and eight of which involved fatalities.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners and UCF’s board of trustees are teaming up to make improvements to the area. But in the meantime, Best Foot Forward joins Chief Metzger in the message to pay attention and stay safe.