Below is a release from Day Communications about Operation Best Foot Forward —
To keep roads safe for more than 191,000 Orange County children starting summer break, the Orlando Police Department (OPD) and Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) will be out in full force reminding drivers to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks during Operation Best Foot Forward on June 11.
Operation Best Foot Forward, part of the Best Foot Forward pedestrian safety initiative, is a crosswalk crackdown to remind drivers to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks, as Florida law requires. Undercover officers will wear plain clothes and cross the street at a marked crosswalk, giving motorists enough time to yield.
Motorists who fail to yield will be issued a warning or a ticket – costing them $164 and three (3) points on their license. Studies show that crosswalk enforcement is critical in boosting the number of drivers who yield to pedestrians because vehicle-versus-pedestrian culture flourishes when unchecked.
Best Foot Forward uses high visibility enforcement, education and outreach, and engineering improvements to make roads safer for everyone in Orange County.
Fast Facts:
In 2014, there were 74 pedestrian crashes involving Orange County kids 14 years old and younger.
46 crosswalks have been enforced through Operation Best Foot Forward since June 2012.
OPD and OCSO have issued more than 1,915 tickets and given more than 3,995 warnings through Operation Best Foot Forward.
Number of drivers who yield to pedestrians has increased from 12 to 48 percent on roads posted 35 mph and lower.
Number of drivers who yield to pedestrians has increased from 1 to 23 percent on roads posted 40 mph and higher.
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