Prince William County police emphasize pedestrian safety April 28-May 4

Prince William County Police report that 1,026 citations were issued to motorists and pedestrians the week of April 28-May 4, in the latest Street Smart education and enforcement campaign.

For motorists, officers concentrated on driving behaviors that contribute to pedestrian and bicycle crashes with motor vehicles such as speeding, running red lights, running stop signs, and not using headlights at night or at any time when visibility is reduced, a news release stated.

During the campaign, 387 citations were issued to motorists for general speeding, 92 for violations involving operator’s licenses, and 66 for reckless driving.

Pedestrians were stopped if they crossed roadways at points other than at intersections, as required by law. Intersections are designed to facilitate the safe crossing of pedestrians by the use of crosswalks and traffic lights, allowing greater visibility.

During the campaign, one citation was issued to a pedestrian for walking in travel lanes and 8 were issued for other pedestrian violations.

Street Smart is a safety and public awareness program carried out by law enforcement agencies throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Since 2002, the goals of the campaign are:
• To change motorists and pedestrian behavior, and reduce injuries and crashes
• To increase awareness of the consequences of pedestrian and bicycle crashes
• To recommend actions to reduce risks, such as:
*Using Crosswalks
*Obeying Traffic Signals
*Looking left-right-left before turning, changing lanes
*Slowing Down
*Stopping for Pedestrians

For more information, call the county police department’s Traffic Unit at 703-792-7254, or visit the Police Department’s Pedestrian Safety web page: http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/police/Pages/Pedestrian-Safety.aspx