Twenty citations were issued to motorists for not yielding to pedestrians during a safety operation by the California Highway Patrol and San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office in North Fair Oaks on Monday, the CHP said.
Several officers were deployed along with Sheriff’s Office deputies to Middlefield Road and Dumbarton Avenue as part of an annual focus on pedestrian safety.
Along with citing motorists for not yielding to pedestrians, the operation issued four citations for motorists using cellphones, three for unlicensed drivers, gave eight verbal warnings and towed one car, according to the CHP. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s deputies issued four citations for crosswalk violations and two cellphone use violations.
The CHP said it was pleased to have issued fewer citations this year than in 2019, when the operation occurred on Middlefield Road and Pacific Avenue. Thirty-four citations were issued to drivers in that operation.
Several officers posed as decoys by walking in plainclothes in the crosswalk as part of the operation, which is funded by a California Office of Traffic Safety grant through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Pedestrian Safety Operation with SMSO
**PEDESTRIAN SAFETY OPERATION WITH SMSO**Pedestrians are our most vulnerable population on the road. A crash between a person and a vehicle usually has tragic results. Each year, as the weather warms up and people walk more, we focus on pedestrian safety, both for vehicles and for walkers.Today, we deployed several officers, alongside San Mateo County Sheriff's Office deputies, to conduct a pedestrian safety operation on Middlefield Road at Dumbarton Avenue in North Fair Oaks.We were pleased to issue less citations than last year, and to see more motorists respecting pedestrian right of way. All told, CHP officers issued 20 citations for motorists not yielding to pedestrians, 4 cell phone citations, cited three unlicensed drivers, towed one car, and gave 8 verbal warnings. Our Sheriff's deputy colleagues issued 4 citations for crosswalk violations, and 2 citations for cell phone violations.Though many motorists yielded to pedestrians, we did have a close call (sse video). It's very important to pay attention while you're driving, especially in high pedestrian traffic areas. Did you know, you can be cited for passing a vehicle that's stopped for a crosswalk?We had several officers pose as decoys but some of the pedestrians you see on the video are community members just going about their business and crossing Middlefield Road as they normally would. Drive safe! -AM
Posted by CHP – Redwood City on Tuesday, July 21, 2020
