Henderson Police Department Traffic officers will be keeping particular watch for motorists not paying attention to pedestrians in crosswalks and pedestrians not crossing streets safely or legally. Department units will be joined by other area police officers for this enforcement effort that starts Wednesday and continues until May 13. Officers will target intersections with clearly marked crosswalks using saturation patrols. Officers will also be looking for speeders during this ninth Joining Forces event of the year. Nationwide, 4,432 pedestrians died in accidents involving motor vehicles in 2011, accounting for about 14 percent of the total number of traffic fatalities for the year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On average, a pedestrian is killed every two hours and injured every eight minutes in U.S. traffic crashes; two out of three accidents occur at non-intersections. In Nevada, 71 pedestrians died in traffic crashes in 2013 with one of those occurring in Henderson. To prevent accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians, Henderson Police offer the following safety recommendations for all who use the road: For Drivers: • Always yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Every intersection where two streets meet is a legal crosswalk, whether or not it is marked. • Stop well back from a crosswalk to give other vehicles an opportunity to see the crossing pedestrians so they can stop, too. • Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk. They are stopped to allow pedestrians to cross the street. • Remain stopped until pedestrians have crossed all the lanes in the direction you are traveling, or they reach the median. For Pedestrians: • Walk on a sidewalk or path as far from traffic as possible. Dont walk in the gutter or on the curb. • Put away electronic devices that take your eyes and ears off the road, such as cell phones and music players. • Never assume a driver sees you; make eye contact before crossing in front of them. • Be cautious when crossing driveways or outlets where drivers must look away from you to merge with traffic. • Allow drivers time to recognize your intention to cross and come to a complete stop. A motorist traveling 35 miles per hour needs about 6 seconds to see a pedestrian and safely stop their vehicle. • Cross streets at marked crosswalks or intersections where two streets meet. This is where drivers expect pedestrians, and its the only lawful spot to cross. • Dont walk impaired. About one third of pedestrians killed by vehicles are legally drunk. HPD received $188,000 in federal funding through the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety for the Joining Forces program. The grant provides funding for enforcement and education to reduce deaths and injuries on Nevada roadways. Enforcement efforts during the year will focus on pedestrian safety, seat belt use, speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 23:07:27 +0000