JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office and a pedestrian safety group are teaming up on a new initiative designed to help prevent traffic deaths in the city. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s called Operation Best Foot Forward, led by Bike\/Walk Central Florida. It\u2019s a program new to Jacksonville but has been ongoing elsewhere since 2012. The goal is high-visibility traffic enforcement. JSO officers and Bert and Lillian Road in Arlington, where that sting operation took place. <\/p>\n
Our cameras observed a plainclothes officer crossing a sidewalk with no pedestrian traffic light to see if drivers would yield. We caught multiple drivers failing to yield, and they were subsequently pulled over. <\/p>\n
They face a minimum $164 fine and up to three points on their licenses. <\/p>\n
This operation comes as Jacksonville is marked as the 15th to 16th deadliest metro area for pedestrians. <\/p>\n
Vince Dyer, the director of Operation Best Foot Forward, tells Action News Jax that pedestrians bare a responsibility as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo by crossing in the crosswalk, they\u2019re gonna have a higher yield rate based on our data than if you\u2019re crossing in the middle of the street,\u201d said Dyer.<\/p>\n
Dyer added that only 14 percent of drivers yield at light-free crosswalks. He said that more pedestrian traffic lights are expensive to tax payers so better crosswalk signage and traffic enforcements of existing infrastructure might be more workable solutions. Dyer added that lowering the speed limit also creates an enforcement problem for police. <\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/a><\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n