Law Enforcement Emphasizes Pedestrian Safety Ahead of Mobility Week

Aligning with the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) statewide Mobility Week, Operation Best Foot Forward returned in October for its quarterly pedestrian safety enforcement. During its two-week window, law enforcement agencies across Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties issued 192 warnings and citations to drivers that failed to yield to pedestrians across 19 crosswalk locations.

During Operation Best Foot Forward, plainclothes officers and deputies crossed streets at marked crosswalks, giving drivers enough time to slow down and stop safely. Drivers who did not stop as Florida law requires were pulled over and faced a minimum $164 citation and three (3) points on their driver’s license.

According to data collected by the Best Foot Forward program this year, drivers in Central Florida are only yielding to pedestrians at marked crosswalks 46% of the time. Additionally, a report by the National Institutes of Health details how traffic crashes at night can increase after Daylight Saving Time ends in early November, causing drivers and pedestrians to adjust to earlier sunsets.

FDOT’s Mobility Week promotes awareness of safe, multimodal transportation choices. During Mobility Week, counties, cities, and transportation agencies host events and offer special promotions to encourage Floridians to try new transportation options. In preparation for Mobility Week, some of the crosswalk locations during this operation included:

In addition to the law enforcement agencies listed above, police departments from Casselberry, Oakland, St. Cloud, and Winter Park participated in Operation Best Foot Forward along with deputies from the Osceola and Orange County Sheriff’s Offices.

Attendance at these crosswalk enforcements included elected officials such as Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson, and Apopka Commissioner Nick Nesta, in addition to five BFF coalition partners from local organizations. Broadcast media from WFTV 9 and TV 27 attended the intersections of Virginia Dr. & Ferris Ave. in Orlando and Votaw & West Orange Trail in Apopka. Central Florida’s local PBS station was also on site at Bear Lake Rd. & McNeil Rd. in Seminole County for a pedestrian safety segment expected to air in December.

Additional pictures are available to view on our BWCF Flickr album. To see the full enforcement schedule and interactive map of the crosswalk locations, visit: https://www.iyield4peds.org/operationbff/