Fort Lee Issues Distracted Walking Tickets [POLL]

Steve is out tonight…so it’ll be an “early” edition of the Late Show.

I talked about this last night, so it bears repeating!

If you the driver have to be extra careful when going through an area heavily traveled by pedestrians, don’t you feel the pedestrian should shoulder some of the responsibility?
I say – definitely!

And according to this,

Ft Lee has a ban in place that calls for tickets to be given out for distracted walking. Do you think it’s merely a revenue generator that’s going too far…or a way to prevent more accidents from happening?

So I ask, as someone who drives often, how many times have you almost hit someone who was riding a bike or walking in the road directly in your path? How many times have you wanted to shout out, “…why should I have to bear the brunt of the responsibility of watching out for them when they don’t watch out for me?"

In Fort Lee, Police Chief Tom Ripoli has reported that three pedestrians have been killed so far this year and there have been 74 pedestrian crashes last year….so they’ll be issuing tickets for jaywalking….

In 2012, borough police have stopped 575 people for a violation that is seldom enforced in New Jersey, so tickets are rarely issued. But in March, Ripoli said enough was enough.

Many drivers feel that way.

Pedestrians contributed to 20 percent of all traffic fatalities in New Jersey in 2010, the last year for which complete state police statistics have been compiled. Only distracted driving contributed to more deaths — 23 percent.

Fair Lawn Patrolman Tim Franco, who heads the New Jersey Police Traffic Officers Association says, “If you give a pedestrian a ticket, he looks at you like you have two heads,” “But when you have a serious public safety situation, as in Fort Lee, I’m glad they’re doing this.”

Almost every town has a serious pedestrian safety problem. That’s why the Legislature passed a law in 2009 requiring drivers to stop — not simply yield — to walkers at painted crosswalks.

Putting all the onus on drivers.

But not everybody believes this change suggests success. Drivers often complain that the law has emboldened pedestrians to cross streets — at crosswalks and elsewhere — as if they always have the right of way, sometimes long after traffic lights turn against them.

Indeed, fatality statistics suggest that the biggest pedestrian safety issue isn’t at crosswalks. state police figures for 2010 showed 60 percent of pedestrian deaths occurred either in places where crossing was prohibited or because of unspecified “other pedestrian action in roadways.”

Guaranteed, this summer, try driving up and down Long Beach Blvd. If you don’t stop at a designated crosswalk, you get pinched!

But the pedestrian who walks in front of you…not a thing happens.

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