Last week’s crosswalk safety operation was a wakeup call for Carson City. In just under 8 hours on June 9, 62 citations were issued to motorists who failed to stop for a Carson City Sheriff’s Office employee, clad in bright orange, who crossed area crosswalks.
Thursday, however, was a completely different story. With multiple crosswalks covered and not one but two pedestrians dressed in bright orange, there were only two crosswalk violation citations issued.
Public awareness, along with TV news coverage, brought heightened attention last week to Carson City’s crosswalk safety issues and violations, said Carson City Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Scott McDaniel.
That awareness resulted in fewer tickets and more alert and cautious motorists during Thursday’s operation, he said. There were also two arrests Thursday, one for driving while having a revoked license for DUI and the other for a misdemeanor warrant.
So far this year there’s been three pedestrian related fatalities in Carson City. The fatalities happened at Brown and Highway 50, Fairview and Gordon and on North Carson Street. In 2014 there was one fatality as was 2015.
The crosswalk safety exercises are meant to bring awareness to pedestrians, crosswalks and driver attentiveness, said McDaniel.
“How many traffic citations do we want to give to people who don’t stop for pedestrians? Zero,” said McDaniel when asked about ticketing. “I would love to see zero. And we nearly achieved that today. Zero would tell me everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing — they are paying attention and looking out for each other. Zero fatalities is our goal.”
Pedestrian safety is not only the responsibility of the driver, but it is also the responsibility of the pedestrian, said Carson City Sheriff’s Motor Deputy Gary Denham.
“Everybody has to make sure they see each other so they can get a sense of what each other is doing and it makes for safer drivers and it makes Carson City a safer place to walk,” said Denham.
Thursday’s operation, the second one of the month, was done in cooperation with the Office of Traffic Safety and Joining Forces — a statewide public safety campaign that focuses on traffic, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian safety issues.
“We are hoping that people will continue their vigilance during Epic Rides this weekend and well beyond the event,” said McDaniel.
See the video below.
