One of the most important topics that law enforcement agencies stress around the country is the need for pedestrian safety. Now, one city is growing increasingly alarmed by the rise in pedestrian deaths, and they aim to do something about it.
The Austin Police Department has stated their intention to crack down on those persons whose behavior puts the lives of pedestrians at risk. The head of that agency’s Highway Enforcement Command has expressed the need for a zero tolerance policy that can ensure anyone who commits a safety violation is going to be held accountable for what they’ve done.
The newly stressed need for safety is the result of an increase in pedestrian fatalities in the city. Police in Austin say that pedestrian fatality rates so far this year are already equal to 2011. 19 people have died in 2012, and there’s still half a year to go. Along I-35, one particularly troubled area, five people have died while trying to cross from one side of the interstate to the other.
The Chief of Police intends to provide details of a new crackdown next week. Authorities in the area are already in the midst of an initiative designed to keep pedestrians safe. In fact, 1,000 citations have already been handed out to violators as a result of the initiative. It would appear, though, that more must be done.