Troopers Cracking Down On Cities With High Pedestrian Accidents

MICHIGAN — Police are turning their eyes to pedestrian traffic this week and how drivers obey pedestrian laws, too.

Grants have been awarded to law enforcement agencies in four Michigan cities: Detroit, Kalamazoo, Warren and Lansing. The Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) identified these cities as having some of the highest number of pedestrian crashes over a five-year period.

The grants coincide with Pedestrian Enforcement Week, which runs from Sept. 5-11. The grants will focus on the laws applicable to pedestrian safety to help reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

“This enforcement period aims to educate community members about the importance of pedestrian safety and the traffic laws designed to protect them,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. “We want everyone, people who drive and people who walk, to obey traffic signs and signals and stay alert for each other. Organizations are working hard to reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries in Michigan, but there is still more we can do.”

In Michigan, more than 100 pedestrians die each year. The month of September is an especially deadly time of year for pedestrians, with one of the highest volume of crashes – more than 1,000 in the last five years, officials said.

During this campaign, officers will be on the lookout for the following:

Driver violations including –

• Illegal turns
• Failing to stop at a signal or stop sign before a crosswalk
• Failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk at a signalized intersection
• Blocking a roadway that interferes with the normal flow of traffic.

Pedestrian violations including –

• Not following traffic control signals
• Not walking on a sidewalk where provided
• Not walking facing traffic when on a roadway
• Failing to yield to drivers with the right-of-way.