Deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station cited 45 SCV motorists in a bicycle-pedestrian operation Wednesday.
Here are the details from the station:
“Yeah, I saw the pedestrian crossing…but I went ahead and went anyway,” admitted one of the 45 motorists cited this morning during our Bike and Pedestrian Safety Operation.
The citations issued to motorists on Wednesday ranged from $160 to over $450, depending on the violation.
This past Monday, we advised our community ahead of time we were going to be conducting this safety operation, but it still didn’t keep all motorists on their best driving behavior.
SCV Sheriff’s traffic deputies, motor officers, and a Crime Prevention Unit deputy went to the intersections of Sierra Highway/Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country and McBean Parkway/Town Center Drive in Valencia.
During the operation, 45 motorists were issued citations for vehicle code violations — 28 for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, seven for cell phone violations, seven for speed violations, two for failing to stop for a red light, and one for a turn violation. One driver was additionally cited for a suspended driver’s license.
No pedestrian or bicycle violations were observed.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS: Many motorists think that once the pedestrian or bicyclist has passed in front of their car, they are free to proceed. This is FALSE.
Motorists are to YIELD to pedestrians until they have COMPLETELY CROSSED the crosswalk. By doing so, you are alerting other motorists to the pedestrian crossing and/or there may be a pedestrian who is just stepping off the curb to cross the intersection and here you thought you were free to go.
It’s about safety and it’s about saving lives. There have been a lot of bicycle and pedestrian fatalities in California. Just within the contract cities policed by LASD, deputies have investigated 3,512 fatal and injury collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists during the past three years.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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19 Comments
Joser Romo
Get those speeders
Armando Bravo
Fantastic! Let’s continue throughout the city!
Ricky Santiago
Jessica Rodriguez by my job
Sami Carrillo Philip Carrillo Matt Serrano Charlotte A Bell Ariel Garcia-Anderson
Ca. Vehicle Code says that once a pedestrian crosses the centerline of the road you are free to travel – Example if a pedestrian is walking towards the lane you’re in, you are free to stop and go until the pedestrian crosses the centerline of the road – then you must wait. If a pedestrian is crossing on your side of the centerline of the road you must wait till they cross the centerline then you’re free to travel
They been doing this a lot and I’m glad I see people almost getting ran over in the crosswalk over people just bring impatient
Nice attitude ^^^, maybe it will change when a member of your family gets securely fastened to the grill of a vehicle by a driver not paying attention. I do agree with you that “some” people walk slow and others are on their cell phones just strolling…and this is quite annoying to all of us with an agenda. I have even yelled out the window before, but is losing the 120 seconds of our precious time worth the risk of hitting a pedestrian if the law was to change or not enforced?
Keep up the great work ,we are flooded with bad drivers.
Thank you for doing this SCVS! It is very scary to drive in SC sometimes, too many aggressive drivers, especially the ones in the giant pick up trucks. On several occasions I have waited at a crosswalk to allow pedestrians to cross, and I have a giant truck behind honking because they want me to go. Thanks to finally hiring more Sheriff’s I am starting to see a little improvement.
Speeding is still the BIGGEST problem…Need to crack down on the all the drivers who drive the surface streets at freeway speeds! Sadly, too many recent fatalities…
Kurt Buck…no prob keep paying tickets. This will allow to keep avoiding the law. You gotta pay to play!!
Great to see enforcement! However, the California Vehicle Code does not state that a pedestrian must be completely across the crosswalk. This might be relevant for large intersections like Bouquet/Newhall Ranch road. The CVC states:
CHAPTER 5. Pedestrians’ Rights and Duties [21949 – 21971] ( Chapter 5 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )
21950.
(a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
(b) This section does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for his or her safety. No pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
(c) The driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian within any marked or unmarked crosswalk shall exercise all due care and shall reduce the speed of the vehicle or take any other action relating to the operation of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian.
(d) Subdivision (b) does not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 833, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 2001.)
Get does asshole puro LA..
Would someone please show me in section 21950 VC where it states a driver shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian while they cross the entire length of the crosswalk and step out of the road on to the sidewalk area.
Why aren’t bicycle riders riding through pedestrian crosswalks not cited? The vehicle code defines a bicycle as a vehicle and must obey the same traffic laws as a car. I see bicycle violations all the time when will all this effort against car drivers not be equally applled to bicycle riders? Let’s not forget the many pedestrians who ignore the pedestrian signals. Next time you see any of our local sheriffs just patrolling and they turn or drive past a pedestrian not totally out of the crosswalk may I suggest you file a compliant.
Here you go… http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=21950.&lawCode=VEH
Vehicle code states yield the right of way while in cross walk doesn’t say you can’t proceed. If there is no conflict and the pedestrian is not in any danger why should you have to wait? My quess there is no driver out there that’s waited at a large intersection for pedestrians to fully cross when it is safe to proceed. Yes it’s extermly important to be mindful of all pedestrians and use good judgement at all times.