Message to Osceola County drivers: tighten up your abiding the law and looking out for bicyclists and pedestrians while behind the wheel.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is in the midst of a state-backed campaign to patrol specific area corridors that have logged a high number of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes. They’ll be looking for dangerous driving habits that contribute to the crashes that can turn fatal, such as speeding, failing to stop in legal crosswalks, improper turns or not using turn signals and distracted driving at the hands of hand-held devices (said simply, put your phone down while driving).
Deputies will also monitor pedestrian and cyclist actions, like crossing the street illegally or failing to yield to drivers with the right-of-way. Bicyclists will be stopped for riding against traffic, riding at night without lights, or failing to abide by the same laws as motor vehicles when on the streets.
Drivers are urged to: Obey speed limits, never drive impaired, and always watch for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Bicyclists are urged to: Obey traffic laws, ride in the direction of traffic, and use lights when riding at night.
Pedestrians are urged to: Cross in crosswalks or at intersections, walk in the opposite direction of traffic if there’s no sidewalk, obey pedestrian signals, and be visible to drivers when walking at night. The Florida Department of Transportation-funded operation is through a contract with the University of North Florida’s Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM). And, the subject is not something new, FDOT developed Florida’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Focused Initiative a decade ago, in 2011, to lead efforts to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety in the state. The public education campaign is branded “Alert Today Florida,” aimed at eliminating traffic crashes on Florida’s roads that result in severe or fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists.
The objectives include advancing data collection, analysis, and evaluation to guide the implementation of comprehensive safety strategies in areas with the highest occurrences of serious or fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists. For more information on pedestrian and bicycle safety, visit www. alerttodayflorida.com.
