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Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office targets busy intersections to improve safety

Posted at 7:01 AM, Sep 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-04 08:19:15-04

Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies are targeting busy intersections for what they call "High Visibility Enforcement Operations" to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. 

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The program begins Tuesday and will continue until May 17, 2019. 

One intersection that deputies will target is Military Trail and Okeechobee Boulevard. 

PBSO says Palm Beach County ranks in the top five Florida counties for traffic crashes resulting in serious and fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Every year for the past three years, more than 700 pedestrians and bicyclists have been involved in collisions in Palm Beach County each year.

From January 2018 to June 2018, PBSO has investigated 20 fatal pedestrian/bicyclist collisions.

In an effort to improve safety, deputies will conduct "High Visibility Enforcement" at specific intersections throughout central Palm Beach County.

HVE details are funded through a contract with the University of North Florida in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation's focused initiative to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

The goal of this enforcement effort is to increase awareness of, and compliance with, traffic laws that protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

The enforcement efforts will focus primarily on the education of drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

However, depending on the circumstances, violations may result in a warning or citation being issued.

Tips for sharing the road:

DRIVERS: Obey speed limits, never drive impaired and always watch for pedestrians and bicyclists, especially near intersections. You may make a right on red where applicable AFTER a full stop behind the stop bar.

BICYCLISTS: Obey traffic laws, ride in the direction of traffic flow and always use lights when riding at night.

PEDESTRIANS: Cross in a crosswalk or at intersections, obey pedestrian signals and make sure you are visible to drivers when walking at night.