With the recent time change to Daylight Savings Time, early morning pedestrians are traveling before the sun comes up. County officials urge pedestrians and drivers to be especially aware of each other, particularly during darkness and in bad weather when visibility is limited.
“The recent spate of pedestrian collisions in Montgomery County is a terrible tragedy,” said County Executive Ike Leggett. “The County is committed to keeping pedestrians safe, and we have engaged in an aggressive program to reduce collisions through engineering efforts and enhanced enforcement and education that is having excellent results.
“But, we also need the public’s help to improve safety,” Leggett stated. “We need drivers to obey the law, yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, slow down, pay attention and look out for pedestrians. We need drivers to eliminate distractions, put down their electronic devices and drive less aggressively.
“We need pedestrians to be vigilant, on guard and undistracted. They should use crosswalks, cross only with walk signals and never assume that drivers see them and will yield to them when they step into the road.
“We need everyone to be engaged to make sure that crossing the street is not a death defying act.”
See safety tips for pedestrians and drivers.
