SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Last weekend’s enforcement activities focusing on pedestrians by the Reno Police Department Traffic Division proved successful.
The operation was designed to increase public awareness of how right of way laws apply to pedestrians, helping to reduce the potential for pedestrians being injured or killed in accidents. The enforcement activities were funded by a grant from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety’s “Joining Forces” program targeting pedestrian violators.
RPD traffic officers made 282 citizen contacts, educating 194 of them with warnings about the right of way laws for pedestrians. Additionally, officers gave 84 traffic citations and 61 pedestrian citations along with four arrests.
Last month RPD’s Traffic Division conducted another grant funded enforcement operation with the focus on drivers yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks. The operation resulted in 47 citations and 19 warnings.
Since January 1, 2009, there have been a total of 203 vehicle versus pedestrian accidents within the City of Reno. Of those, 65 of them, or 32%, have been the fault of the pedestrian. Nearly all of the time, 200 of 203 accidents resulted in injury to the pedestrian. Eight of these accidents have resulted in a pedestrian fatality, six of those, or 75%, being the fault of the pedestrian. In many cases, pedestrians were not using crosswalks to cross the street and were struck by vehicles. In 2011 so far, there have been three fatal vehicle versus pedestrian accidents, all as a result of the fault of the pedestrians.
