On average, a vehicle strikes a pedestrian in Seattle 1.5 times per day. By far, the most common contributing factor to these collisions is a driver failing to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian when required to do so, for example when the driver is making a right turn at an intersection and the pedestrian is in the crosswalk. The vast majority of pedestrian injuries occur at intersections.
Over the summer, Seattle police began special emphasis patrols at select intersections that focused on driver's who fail to yield. Using plainclothes officers, police set up "sting" operations. The most recent "stings" were conducted on Friday, November 21 at 41st and Stone Way and at Martin Luther King and East Alder Street. Here's what happened during an approximately one hour "sting" at each location:
41st and Stone Way, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
17 failure to yield to pedestrian, one driver's license violation, three using cell phone while driving, four proof of insurance, three expired tabs, and one driver inattention, 29 total citations.
Martin Luther King Blvd and East Alder Street, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
20 failure to yield to pedestrian, one no front license plate, five expired tabs, one failure to use seat belt, seven proof of insurance, 35 total citations.
These emphasis patrols will continue in the future as our city attempts to increase driver awareness of pedestrian safety issues. So, beware drivers! Watch for pedestrians. The poor soul you cut off or nearly run down could be a plainclothes police officer who will radio your vehicle description forward to other officers waiting to issue you a citation.
Read previous postings about pedestrian safety in Seattle, including all the statistics.