Ramapo Has Most Pedestrian-traffic Injuries, Deaths In Rockland

The Town of Ramapo has the highest rates of pedestrian-traffic injuries and fatalities in Rockland County. In fact, it has been identified as one of the top 20 communities with the highest number of pedestrian crashes, Rockland officials said, citing the 2016 New York State (NYS) Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.

Both pedestrians and drivers were found to be in violation of NYS Vehicle and Traffic Laws.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert encourage Town of Ramapo residents, worksites, non-profit organizations, and community or faith-based organizations to schedule an Arrive Alive: Walk Wise Drive Smart presentation.

The free, interactive presentation is 45 minutes long, and participants will be provided with information they can post, distribute, and share with clients, customers, family members, and others.

"This is a great opportunity to find out how to keep yourself and your family safe and get important traffic safety information for both pedestrians and drivers," said Dr. Ruppert.

To schedule a presentation, call the Rockland County Department of Health at (845) 364-2500.

The presentation is part of a comprehensive community and school-based injury prevention education initiative funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.

The initiative in Rockland will educate students in the East Ramapo Central School District, leaders of local organizations, agencies, and businesses, and community members in the Town of Ramapo about pedestrian and driver safety and the importance of obeying NYS Vehicle and Traffic Laws, which exist to keep everyone safe on the roads.

Working in partnership with the County's Department of Public Transportation, a pilot project will be launched in five bus shelters in Ramapo. Each will receive a panel-sized display promoting pedestrian and bicycling safety. In addition, information about driver attentiveness, not texting or talking on the phone, and obeying speed limits, will be posted in visible locations to drivers at five commuter parking lots in Ramapo.

In 2016, the Health Department partnered with the NYS Department of Health's Bureau of Occupation Health and Injury Prevention to address driver and pedestrian safety through education and enforcement, while considering the needs for engineering and other street-level improvements. The NYS See! Be Seen! campaign messages were displayed on an interior bus card in the County's 55 Transportation of Rockland (TOR) buses. The See! Be Seen! pedestrian and bicyclist education and driver awareness messages are available in English, Spanish, French/Creole, and Yiddish.

For more information call the Health Department at (845) 364-2500 and visit the website.

PHOTO: Ramapo police investigate a pedestrian hit by a car in September 2017/ Ramapo Police Department on Facebook