Ramapo Police Work to Enforce Pedestrian Safety, Uncover Problems with Compliance
The Ramapo Police Department recently conducted some pedestrian safety enforcement actions at several busy intersections and crosswalks in the community. There had been numerous complaints about vehicles not slowing down and yielding to pedestrians at clearly visible crosswalks, and so officers posed as pedestrians to catch drivers who failed to yield.
Over the course of a single day, officers issued at least 40 tickets at several locations and gave many more warnings. One of the locations was on Route 59, where there had been a serious pedestrian accident earlier that week.
There was no element of trickery to the operation — the officer was wearing a bright shirt and was at a clearly marked, painted crosswalk. However, a large number of motorists failed to stop or even slow down for the officer throughout the day. In many cases, they just blew right past.
Pedestrian safety has been a longstanding issue in Ramapo, and law enforcement officials knew they had to act when a mother and her three children were hit while walking along the shoulder of Route 59 in January 2017. This recent pedestrian safety action had already been planned, but the incident provided further proof of the need for greater enforcement.
Pedestrian safety across the state
It’s not just the town of Ramapo that has experienced problems with pedestrian accidents — it has become an increasingly prevalent issue across Long Island, the state and the nation. Pedestrian injuries and fatalities continue to rise, even while other types of traffic deaths have fallen. Safety officials lay the blame on greater distractions in the form of cell phone usage by drivers and pedestrians alike, along with on a lack of awareness of laws requiring motorists to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
To learn more about how to file an injury claim after a car or pedestrian accident, contact a dedicated personal injury attorney with Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia LLP.