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Danger in the Crosswalks

Police cite 51 drivers, in a California town, in a four-hour crosswalk sting.

By: Chris Samson, Argus-Courier staff

February 25, 2004

Pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists alike need to be more attentive and aware of the vehicle code. That's the message from police who conducted a pedestrian crosswalk sting in Petaluma last Thursday.

During the four-hour operation at seven separate locations, the Petaluma Police Department's Traffic Unit issued 51 citations for violations. The sting operation involved an officer in plain clothes crossing the street using a crosswalk. Nearby officers on police motorcycles and marked patrol cars stopped drivers who failed to yield and issued citations.

Coincidentally, two pedestrians were hit by vehicles within a 24-hour period just before and after the sting operation. One of the pedestrians is in critical condition.

Driver inattention is the primary cause of collisions between automobiles and pedestrians, according to police. Sgt. Tim Lyons, who supervised the Feb. 19 sting operation and who acted as one of the pedestrian decoys, said the most dangerous violation he witnessed was the failure of a second car to stop at a crosswalk after a first car stopped for a pedestrian. "We saw that two times where the pedestrian almost got struck."

Too many drivers just aren't paying attention, Lyons said. Another problem is motorists who drive under the influence. Among the drivers cited (and subsequently arrested) during the sting were a 44-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man with blood-alcohol levels of 0.31 and 0.37 respectively - both well over the 0.08 limit. Two other motorists were arrested for using marijuana while driving and outstanding warrants. Five of the drivers cited were unlicensed or were driving with a suspended license.

While the stings were conducted throughout town - including McDowell Boulevard, Sonoma Mountain Parkway and East Washing-ton Street, most of the focus was on Petaluma Boulevard. Lyons said police have received a number of complaints about unsafe driving in the downtown area.

Cathy Wayne, who works downtown, said she walks a lot and has nearly been hit by cars several times. "So many folks are driving around using their cell phones, pedestrians just don't seem to be in their vision," she said.

Last year two teens were struck by cars and seriously injured while crossing Washington Street in the downtown area. A 16-year-old boy was hit while crossing at Liberty Street last January and a 12-year-old girl was struck while crossing at Kentucky Street last November. One Washington Street merchant subsequently put a sign in front of her store cautioning drivers to "Slow down, this isn't 101."

Lyons said last week's sting targeted not only motorists, but bicyclists and pedestrians as well. Prior to the sting, the last two fatal traffic accidents in Petaluma involved bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the road. Bicyclists should ride with the flow of traffic, Lyons said.

He also noted that pedestrians should not step into a crosswalk if an approaching vehicle is too close to safely stop. "Pedestrians have to yield until it is safe and clear," he said. Pedestrians can be cited for jaywalking or running into traffic in an unsafe manner.

A motorist is allowed to drive through a crosswalk if a pedestrian has stepped into the crosswalk on the other side of the street, as long as the driver "doesn't create any interference for the pedestrian" or cause the pedestrian to slow down or speed up to avoid the vehicle, Lyons said.

The sergeant also cautioned pedestrians "to be very careful and make sure drivers see you" when they are in a crosswalk. "People think once they're in a crosswalk everybody will see them and stop and they get a false sense of security."

Statistics show that Petaluma is not a particularly safe city for pedestrians in recent years. Between 2001 and 2003, there were 95 pedestrian-involved collisions in Petaluma - a 40 percent increase over 1998-2000, when there were 69 such incidents. The California Office of Traffic Safety ranks Petaluma toward the bottom among similar-sized cities in traffic collisions involving pedestrian injury or fatality. Of 92 cities in the state, Petaluma ranked 23rd - with 92 being the safest and 1 being the most dangerous.

Lyons said the police department intends to do more pedestrian-crosswalk enforcement stings and public education campaigns to increase bicycle and pedestrian safety. "We want to make some of our problem crosswalks safer," he said.

http://arguscourier.com/news/news/crosswalk040225.html 

Source:  Petaluma Argus Courier