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Karen Scullin reporting At least four times today, a car, in Salt Lake County, hit a pedestrian. And, authorities are saying it's time to make sure, motorists are paying attention. Coincidentally, the accidents came right at the kickoff of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office Pedestrian Safety Campaign.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office today began targeting areas with high concentrations of pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The goal is to increase awareness and encourage safe travel habits on the road. The campaign began on a particularly nasty day on county streets.
"Sgt. Darren Carr/Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: “Everyone seems to be in a big rush nowadays; everyone's trying to beat the person across."
Part of the push to keep pedestrians safe is a hard look at the numbers. In 2001, 752 people were hit by cars. Of those, 682 were injured, and 31 killed.
As the campaign begins, Sgt. Darren Carr acts as pedestrian to help alert careless drivers of their bad habits.
"Sgt. Darren Carr: “Part of my assignment today is I'll walk across the street and I'll see how many cars try and hit me."
In just a few minutes a waiting deputy spotted a red truck that came a little too close to Carr. The driver was pulled over, questioned, and warned.
"Chad Soffe/Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: “He told me he was looking at his daughter in the car seat next to him and when he looked up he saw the person crossing, so he realized he needed to keep his eyes on the road. "
Throughout the week deputies will keep a close eye on drivers and pedestrians, making sure they’re both following the rules of the road.
"Sgt. Darren Carr: “If we see pedestrians crossing against the traffic control device that applies to them, that's also a problem, it's a two-way street." The target roads for the week are State Street, 700 East, and Redwood Road at about 3300 South. They're the four deadliest roads for pedestrians in Utah; but of course deputies hope to change that.
