Summer Safety Alert: Look out for Pedestrians

Orlando Police Department and Orange County Sheriff’s Office Conduct a Series of Pedestrian Crosswalk Enforcement Actions in June

What:   School is out and summer is here.  No better time to remind drivers to expect more pedestrians crossing the roads, with the 184,000 Orange County students on break and the thousands of tourists traveling daily to Central Florida looking for fun.

The Orlando Police Department (OPD) and Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSO) will be conducting a series of summer pedestrian enforcement details in June, citing drivers for failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, as Florida law requires.  During enforcement actions, dubbed Operation Best Foot Forward, plain clothes officers will cross the street in marked crosswalks at intersections with high pedestrian activity.  Officers will stop those vehicles that do not yield to pedestrians and those drivers may face a fine of $164, and three (3) points on the driver’s license. Locations and date details are below.

Media are invited to the high visibility pedestrian enforcement details and have the opportunity to speak to drivers, officers and pedestrians about Best Foot Forward and hear their thoughts on what needs to be done to get Metro Orlando off the list as the most dangerous metro for pedestrians in the past decade.

Pedestrian Enforcement Schedule

Wed., Jun. 12

International Drive/Austrian Court     10:30-11:30 AM      OCSO

Fri., Jun. 14

International Drive/Kirkman Road     8:30-10:30 AM     OPD

Mon., Jun. 17

Central Blvd/Lake Ave     8:00-9:00 AM     OPD

Robinson Street to Rosalind Ave     9:30-10:30 AM     OPD

Universal Blvd/Destination Parkway     11:30 AM-12:30 PM         OCSO

Operation Best Foot Forward Background

This is the fourth high visibility pedestrian enforcement action since the launch of Best Foot Forward in May 2012.  Since then, OPD and OCSO have issued more than 1,300 tickets and given over 3,800 warnings to drivers for failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.   Enforcement is critical in boosting yield rates because vehicles-versus-pedestrian culture seems to flourish when unchecked.

OPD and OCSO enforcement details, along with engineering improvements and education, are part of Best Foot Forward for pedestrian safety efforts to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths by half in five years.   By employing this “Triple E” approach of engineering, education and enforcement, yield rates have jumped from 12% to 33% on roads 35mph and less.  When in-street signs were present, the yield rate increased further to 48%.  It is a start but we have a long way to go to move Metro Orlando off the list as the most dangerous pedestrian metro of the past decade.

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About Best Foot Forward & Pedestrian Safety in Metro Orlando

Every seven minutes in America, a pedestrian is struck by a car or truck. Nowhere is the problem more severe than in Orlando, Florida, where two pedestrians are injured every day, and one is killed each week. Metro Orlando was ranked by Transportation For America as the “Most Dangerous” pedestrian metro of the past decade. The Best Foot Forward initiative was launched in May 2012 to reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries in Metro Orlando by getting drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and getting pedestrians to be more careful crossing the street. More than a campaign, this “Triple-E” behavioral change process seeks to create lasting social good through the consistent and persistent application of low-cost engineering, community education, and high-visibility enforcement.

Best Foot Forward is a coalition of civic leaders, public safety officials, engineers, educators, transportation planners, advocates and concerned citizens. Initiated by Bike/Walk Central Florida under the leadership of former Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin, spearheaded by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, the coalition includes Florida Bicycle Association, Orange County Government, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando Health, Lynx, Winter Park Health Foundation, MetroPlan Orlando, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the City of Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, Windermere, Winter Garden, Apopka, and town of Eatonville as well as police chiefs throughout Orange County led by Orlando Police Chief Paul Rooney and Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.

The mission is to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths by half over five years. To learn more, go to www.iyield4peds.org.