Parents and students know it, but maybe all Osceola County motorists don’t: school will be back in session next week.
With that comes a lot more students and other pedestrians on sidewalks, crossing streets.
Local law enforcement joined forces last week to make sure drivers yield the right away and stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, specifically near schools, as part of the annual Operation Best Foot Forward. In some cases drivers were hit right in the wallet: Kissimmee and St. Cloud police issued $164 tickets to some drivers who didn’t properly yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks as Florida law requires.
This operation reinforces that drivers really need to look out for kids — a reminder that hit home in July when a 10-year old was struck and killed trying to cross U.S. Highway 192.
During the operation, officers in plain clothes cross the street while uniformed officers monitor the crosswalk for drivers who do not stop for pedestrians.
At four locations — 17th and Delaware, 17th and Michigan, 10th Robinson, and 5th and Old Canoe Creek — St. Cloud Police wrote 20 citations, issued five other written warnings and an arrest for a driver lacking a valid license.
According to the folks at Bike/Walk Central Florida, who annually help spread the word about Operation Best Foot Forward, More than 340,000 students across Central Florida are heading back to the classroom.
Those students, and all pedestrians, are also part of the fatality-prevention initiative. All walkers, especially children walking to and from school, should follow the rules and laws of the highway – walk on the sidewalks, never run into the road to cross, look both ways before crossing the street, and be aware of their surroundings.
High-visibility crosswalk enforcement actions are an effective way to communicate pedestrian traffic laws to both drivers and pedestrians. The Best Foot Forward for pedestrian safety program conducts these operations approximately four times a year.
In additions, AAA’s “School’s Open, Drive Carefully” campaign is also ongoing, urging drivers to slow down, eliminate distractions, watch for pedestrians and bicyclists, and obey traffic laws when passing bus stops and driving through neighborhoods and school zones. You may see their black and bright yellow signs along roads near schools and busy neighborhood.
According to a recent AAA survey of Floridians, 56 percent drive through a school zone on their daily commute.
“Drivers should have a heightened sense of awareness from the moment they leave the driveway,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA – The Auto Club Group.
