I Yield 4 Peds

Kudos Central Florida!  The community has come together to address the pervasive and deadly problem of pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities.  By now you’ve probably heard that Orlando is ranked #1 as the most dangerous place in the nation for pedestrians – and it’s scary for cyclists too.

So it was great news when law enforcement, local mayors including Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, Eatonville and other cities, plus physicians, Lynx representatives, school officials and regular citizens joined together to launch “Best Foot Forward” – a pedestrian safety campaign in Central Florida.

Did you know?  In Metro Orlando two pedestrians are injured every day, and one is killed every week, on average.  It’s not just super high speed roads that are deadly.  If you’re struck at 35 miles an hour, you or your child only has a 50% chance of survival. At 40 miles per hour, survival drops to 15%.

Sadly, nearly all of these deaths and injuries could be avoided if we all – drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians – made a habit of looking out for one another.

That’s why the new campaign from Bike Walk Central Florida, with support from the Winter Park Health Foundation, MetroPlan and others, is so important.  Now it’s up to all of us to make the streets safer and yes, friendlier.  Look out for children, adults, pedestrians and cyclists and when you see them trying to get across – STOP. YIELD.  Let them cross.  It’s the law in Florida and it is the civil thing to do. (And the fine for not yielding is $164!)

Read more: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-29/news/os-crosswalk-tickets-metro-orlando-20120530_1_pedestrian-signals-crosswalks-kirkman-road