The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department were out in full force for Operation Best Foot Forward – a high-visibility enforcement period where officers cite drivers for not yielding to pedestrians.
WKMG reporter, Erika Rakow, experienced the dangers of crossing the street firsthand. Erika spent an hour at Edgewater Drive and Shady Lane interviewing and filming OPD Sergeant Rich Ruth do something as simple as crossing the street in a marked crosswalk. Check out the segment. WFTV, WRDQ, and WESH also did their part in spreading the BFF word. Because of this coverage, BFF’s Facebook post including Rakow’s segment, received 11,392 people across the country.
In August 2014, OPD and OCSO monitored 13 marked crosswalks and here’s the results:
- 204 drivers refused to yield to a ped in a marked crosswalk
- 128 verbal warnings given
- 130 tickets issued at $164 plus 3 points on the license
In Florida, yielding for a pedestrian is not an option – it’s the law. Luckily, our news outlets do a great job of showing the community that pedestrian safety is important. Thank you for sharing BFF’s message with the community and doing your part to keep peds safe! Click here to see the more BFF TV reporting.
