ORLANDO, Fla. – Law enforcement officers across Central Florida are teaming up for a crosswalk safety crackdown as most school districts are less than two weeks from students returning to class.
The Best Foot Forward for Pedestrian Safety program is coordinating the two-week awareness campaign in nine Central Florida counties.
The operation is from July 29 to Aug. 8 and includes plainclothes officers who cross streets at marked crosswalks and allow drivers adequate time to slow down and stop.
A driver who fails to comply with Florida’s pedestrian yield law will face a $164 citation and three points on their driver’s license.
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“As kids head back to school, it’s more important than ever for drivers to be alert and follow the law at crosswalks,” Program manager Vince Dyer said. “Operation Best Foot Forward helps remind everyone that stopping for people isn’t optional. With more students walking, biking, and rolling to class, we need to make sure everyone who uses our streets are following the law and being safe and attentive to each other.”
According to a report released in 2023 from the American Academy of Pediatrics, “child pedestrian mortality rates have shown an increase of 11% since 2013, driven by increases among 10- to 14-year-olds and 15- to 19-year-olds.
Operation Best Foot Forward is part of the Best Foot Forward coalition’s larger effort to improve road safety.
According to the organization, studies show that combining enforcement, education, and engineering over a sustained period of time increases driver compliance with pedestrian right-of-way laws.
Further details on the intersections included in the current safety campaign can be found at https://www.iyield4peds.org/operationbff/
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