Police: Be mindful of crosswalk safety

ST. GEORGE – Recently, St George Police officers worked at various crosswalks throughout St George focusing their efforts on crosswalk safety.  These locations included crosswalks at north Dixie Drive, south Main Street, 700 south, and others.  Officers issued 19 citations to drivers who did not yield to pedestrians who were trying to cross the street.

Officers spoke with pedestrians who were grateful for the enforcement, while most of the drivers were not.
Crosswalk safety is especially important to the St George Police Department. 

The following are a few safety tips for drivers and pedestrians in regards to crosswalks:

Drivers:

  • Yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks and at intersections.
  • Be prepared to stop at all marked crosswalks.  Stay alert and reduce speed in areas with crosswalks.
  • Come to a complete stop if pedestrians are crossing or preparing to cross.
  • Wait until pedestrians have crossed at least one lane past the lane you are in before resuming travel.
  • Never pass another vehicle that has stopped or is slowing down at a crosswalk.
  • Put your phone away and never drive distracted.

Pedestrians:

  • Always cross at marked crosswalks.
  • Obey any pedestrian signals and look left right left.  By doing this you insure that the road is clear in both directions before crossing.
  • If a vehicle approaches, make eye contact with the driver to be sure they see you before you cross.
  • Look before walking past stopped vehicles.  Do not cross just because a driver waves you on.  Be sure all lanes are clear first.
  • A pedestrian may not suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.

Utah State Code 41-6a-1002 states:

The operator of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way by slowing down or stopping if necessary: (i) to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling; or (ii) when the pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger.” 

The St George Police Department asks all pedestrians and drivers to be especially vigilant in regards to crosswalk safety.  It only takes a few seconds to follow these guidelines, which may save a life.  

Submitted by: The St. George Police Department

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Photo courtesy of the St. George Police Department
Photo courtesy of the St. George Police Department

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9 Comments

  • DoubleTap September 30, 2013 at 10:25 am

    How about getting the officers to also begin citing drivers who make right hand turns at a red light without even stopping at the red light BEFORE making the turn. This occurs a lot in this city and I have watched as pedestrians and cyclists have come close to getting hit by vehicles.

  • Jake September 30, 2013 at 10:36 am

    Thank You! Dear officers please make this a regular thing. As a university student who doesn’t have a car I can tell you it is very rare to encounter some who will stop for you at a crosswalk. I often spend half my walks waiting for a break in traffic to run across the street. Please people have some patience and stop for those at crosswalks. There are some areas and businesses in town I have to avoid because I have to cross busy streets and don’t want to risk it.

    • Christine September 30, 2013 at 11:24 am

      Are you talking about like 700 E? I didn’t think that road was that busy.

  • Christine September 30, 2013 at 11:12 am

    One place that I think needs more presence is on Main Street behind Kmart, where all the kids from Dixie middle and high cross to go get lunches. It is always packed with kids and I am so very afraid of them getting hit. The kids are not always smart about crossing, some of them don’t use the crosswalk, but something needs to be done to increase the awareness there! I have personally witnessed a few scary incidents there. Even if it is just the flag thing they do sometimes…..

  • LD September 30, 2013 at 11:15 am

    There are hardly any cross walks in the city to cross. For instance, if I’m at 400 south and main street, I’m not going to walk the 3 blocks down or 4 blocks north to cross main street. People should stop for anyone crossing in or out of a crosswalk. Cars behind me have almost hit myself or a pedestrian when stopping for someone. We need to wait the extra minute to let someone cross

    • DB September 30, 2013 at 4:49 pm

      I just checked my “Utah Driver Handbook” and it says that a pedestrian has right of way AT ANY INTERSECTION whether there is a painted crosswalk or not. Putting that quote into practice may be another matter! There it is for what it’s worth.

  • Josh Dalton September 30, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    I hope they do another sting! Especialy on Valley View. These idiot STG drivers don’t use turning lanes or know to yield at a crosswalk. On Saturday a couple of Missionaries almost got killed right in front of me. I stopped but this moron honked at me and kept going right through the crosswalk. The missionaries had to stop in the middle to avoid getting hit. IDIOT!! You know who you are…because at the next light I gave you a piece of my mind and you rolled your window up!

  • Ginger September 30, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    I agree about the situation on Valley View Drive. I live on that street and every night as I turn into my driveway I say a prayer of thanks that I didn’t get rear-ended. If traffic won’t slow down for a car in front of them that is clearly slowing down and signaling the turn then you can bet your boots they aren’t paying attention to the crosswalks!

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