New York Conducts Statewide Pedestrian Safety Initiative

Law enforcement throughout New York engaged in a statewide “Operation See! Be Seen!” pedestrian safety campaign through June 24. The goal was to decrease the number of crashes involving pedestrians.

The educational initiative included the airing of new public service announcements on radio and TV, with advertisements also placed on billboards and social media. The PSA reminded pedestrians and motorists alike to look out for each other in circumstances when visibility may be limited, especially due to obstructions on or close to the roadway.

Officers also distributed informative cards and campaign materials in multiple languages for a more direct appeal to motorists and pedestrians.

The types of violations targeted in the campaign included motorists failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and pedestrians attempting to cross against an orange “DO NOT WALK” signal.

Part of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan

June’s statewide initiative was a part of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, which combines education, engineering and enforcement to increase pedestrian safety throughout the state.

Through the PSAP, the state has seen some significant progress made in pedestrian safety. Pedestrian fatalities have decreased by 26 percent statewide since 2016, when the plan was founded. New York saw an 18 percent reduction In pedestrian fatalities from 2019 to 2020 alone, while there was a five percent national increase in pedestrian fatalities.

For its efforts in this initiative, New York received the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s Peter K. O’Rourke Special Achievement Award in 2019 for “significant contributions to pedestrian and motorist safety.”

For more information about pedestrian safety and what you should do if you’ve been injured as a pedestrian personal injury lawyer in an accident caused by a negligent motorist, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia LLP.