Pedestrian-Safety Crackdown Planned Friday In Petaluma

PETALUMA, CA – The Petaluma Police Department is stepping up pedestrian-safety enforcement Friday, Sept. 7 with a focus on collision-causing factors that involve motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

The department's traffic unit will be out in force "in trouble spots," areas known for collisions, looking for drivers and pedestrians who violate traffic laws, police said.

Officers will be looking for such offenses by drivers as speeding, driving distracted, making illegal turns, failing to stop for signs and signals and failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and for pedestrians: illegally crossing streets or failing to yield to drivers who have the right of way.

Pedestrian fatalities are rising in California, and over the past three years, the Petaluma police have investigated five fatal and 85 injury collisions involving pedestrians, police said.

In 2016, California logged 867 pedestrian deaths accounting for nearly 24 percent of all roadway fatalities, much higher than the national average of 15 percent, the department said.

Police offered the following reminders to stay safe and save lives.

Drivers can:

• Look out for pedestrians, especially in hard-to-see conditions such as at night or in bad weather.
• Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or entering a crosswalk where pedestrians are likely to be.
• Stop at the crosswalk stop line to give drivers in other lanes an opportunity to see and yield to the pedestrians too.
• Be cautious when backing up – pedestrians, especially young children, can move across your path.

Pedestrians can:

• Be predictable. Follow the rules of the road, cross at crosswalks or intersections, and obey signs and signals.
• Walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as possible if there is no sidewalk.
• Pay attention to the traffic moving around you. This is not the time to be texting or talking on a cell phone.
• Make eye contact with drivers as they approach. Never assume a driver sees you.
• Wear bright clothing during the day and reflective materials (or use a flashlight) at night.
• Look left-right-left before crossing a street.

Funding for the operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• ALSO SEE: Rohnert Park Man Sentenced To 6 Years For Fatal DUI Crash

--Image via Renee Schiavone