Local leaders, organizations partner for #BestFootForward pedestrian safety initiative

Local leaders and organizations partnered for the #BestFootForward pedestrian safety initiative on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office took to the streets of Horizon West with the help of District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson for education and enforcement in the local community. 

OCSO shared that traffic enforcement deputies pulled over around 40 drivers on Seidel Road for failing to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk or speeding.

"This is why we must 'design' speed out of our roadways," Wilson said on her Facebook page. "The issues on Seidel Road are neither new or unpredictable. We can save lives through design."

OCSO said failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk will yield a $164 ticket and three points on a driver's license.

As a pedestrian safety initiative, Bike/Walk Central Florida's Best Foot Forward focuses on one simple, measurable goal: to get more drivers to yield and stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks, as Florida law requires.

On average, three people are injured every day, and at least one person is killed every week, for doing something as simple as crossing the street while 14% of those fatalities in Central Florida occur in marked crosswalks, according to Bike/Walk Central Florida. 

The safety initiative aims to accomplish its goal using the “Triple-E” approach of combining community education with low-cost engineering changes and high-visibility enforcement.

To learn more about Bike/Walk Central Florida's efforts to advocate for safe and convenient places for people to bike and walk, click here.