(WXYZ) — Drivers who fail to stop at crosswalks and pedestrians who jaywalk may want to tighten up this month.
Overtime enforcement mobilization grants have been awarded to law enforcement agencies in four Michigan cities – Detroit, Kalamazoo, Warren and Lansing. The Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) has identified these cities as having some of the highest number of pedestrian crashes over a five-year period.
The grants coincide with Pedestrian Enforcement Week, which runs from Sept. 5-11. The grants will focus on the laws applicable to pedestrian safety to help reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
“This enforcement period aims to educate community members about the importance of pedestrian safety and the traffic laws designed to protect them,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. “We want everyone, people who drive and people who walk, to obey traffic signs and signals and stay alert for each other. Organizations are working hard to reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries in Michigan, but there is still more we can do.”
In Michigan, more than 100 pedestrians die each year. The month of September is an especially deadly time of year for pedestrians, with one of the highest volume of crashes – more than 1,000 in the last five years.
During this campaign, officers will be on the lookout for:
Driver violations including –
- Illegal turns
- Failing to stop at a signal or stop sign before a crosswalk
- Failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk at a signalized intersection
- Blocking a roadway that interferes with the normal flow of traffic.
Pedestrian violations including –
- Not following traffic control signals
- Not walking on a sidewalk where provided
- Not walking facing traffic when on a roadway
- Failing to yield to drivers with the right-of-way.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the mobilization include: Detroit Police, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Kalamazoo County Sheriff, Kalamazoo Township Police, Western Michigan University Public Safety, Warren Police, Macomb County Sheriff, Lansing Police, and Lansing Community College Police.
The enforcement campaign is supported with federal traffic safety funds provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and coordinated by the OHSP.
