Media Alert November 7: Crosswalk Enforcement Scheduled in Orange and Osceola Counties

For media inquiries, please contact Erika Beerbower at (407) 758-2727 or [email protected]

Getting dark earlier puts pedestrians at greater risk of being run over

ORLANDO, Fla – Getting darker earlier puts pedestrians at greater risk for injury or death according to the National Association of Highway Safety (NHTSA). That is why the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Kissimmee Police Department and the St. Cloud Police Department are combining resources to conduct the first multi-jurisdictional crosswalk enforcement operation at 11 specific locations starting at 7 am on Wednesday, November 7, the week clocks switch to standard time.

Dubbed Operation Best Foot Forward, the crosswalk enforcement aims to increase safety by reminding drivers Florida law requires them to stop and remain stopped for the person crossing a street at a marked crosswalk. To enforce this law, plain-clothed officers will cross at the marked crosswalks while uniformed officers will be nearby to pull over drivers who fail to stop. The cost for violators is a minimum of $164 and three (3) points on the driver’s license. To date, over 4,655 warnings and 3,323 citations have been issued to drivers in Orange and Osceola at 393 crosswalk enforcements.

Operation Best Foot Forward is part of a comprehensive effort in Orange and Osceola county to improve street safety by educating drivers about the laws and behaviors that promote safe drive habits. Studies show that consistent crosswalk enforcement, combined with grassroots education and low-cost engineering, result in increased driver yielding behavior. In 2012, approximately 15% of drivers stopped for people when crossing the street at targeted crosswalks in Orange County and City of Orlando. Today, that number hovers closer to 60% at those locations.

Operation Best Foot Forward Crosswalk Enforcement Schedule

About Best Foot Forward for Pedestrian Safety Program

The Best Foot Forward pedestrian safety program is administered by Bike/Walk Central Florida and first launched in Orange County in 2012. It expanded to Osceola County in 2017 and will be launching in Seminole County in 2019.

Best Foot Forward was launched to reverse the conflict between pedestrians and drivers by focusing on one specific behavior change – getting more drivers to yield and stop for pedestrians at marked crosswalks as Florida law requires. More than a campaign, Best Foot Forward is a behavior change-based program designed to reduce injuries and fatalities through consistent and persistent education, high-visibility enforcement and low-cost engineering changes around the region’s most dangerous crosswalks.

Fast Facts about Best Foot Forward: 2014 – 2017:

• 60% of drivers yield to pedestrians at monitored crosswalks on roads 35mph and lower in Orange County & City of Orlando – a jump from 17% in 2012
• 21% of drivers yield to pedestrians on roads 40mph and higher in Orange County & City of Orlando – a jump from just 2% in 2012
• Over 3,323 citations and 4,655 warnings given in Orange County and Osceola County combined
• 85: Number of marked crosswalks monitored by BFF in Orange and Osceola

Best Foot Forward Coalition

Initiated and administered by Bike/Walk Central Florida, the Best Foot Forward coalition includes: MetroPlan Orlando, City of Orlando and Orlando Police Department, City of Kissimmee and Kissimmee Police Department, City of St. Cloud and St. Cloud Police Department, Orange County Government, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Public Schools, Osceola County Government, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Osceola County School District, Lynx, Orlando Health, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Transportation, the University of Miami’s WalkSafe program, Winter Park Health Foundation. To learn more, visit www.iyield4peds.org.

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