Orange County Sheriff’s Office releases Best Foot Forward PSA video

Since 2012, Best Foot Forward (BFF) has been diligently planting its grassroots seeds all over Central Florida.  It started with a small group of concerned citizens, politicians, and police officers but quickly grew into a larger initiative.  When Sheriff Jerry Demings and other Orlando and Orange County law enforcement launched the first enforcement crackdown several years ago to change driver behavior, a mere 17% of drivers yielded at crosswalks on streets under 35 mph.  Five years after the formation of BFF, that number has increased to 56% of drivers yielding (a 36% increase).

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) recently conducted an enforcement crackdown at six busy crosswalks on June 13, 2018.  Thirty-eight citations and six warnings were given at these crosswalks, adding to the grand total of 7, 566 total citations and warnings given out by the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office through BFF alone.

With the help of Officers like Sheriff Demings, BFF has grown into a powerful coalition that reaches thousands of people in Central Florida with its simple message:  yield to pedestrians. The original goal of BFF remains the primary goal today:  to increase driver yield rates at pedestrian crosswalks by focusing on the 3 E’s: education, enforcement and engineering.

A huge thank you to Sheriff Demings for putting together this video recap and reminding drivers and pedestrians alike to stay safe and alert.