Winning project shows perils of jaywalking

PennDOT has recognized an innovative Chester County program to improve pedestrian safety, said District Attorney Tom Hogan.

West Chester Police Chief Scott L. Bohn (from left); Lori Aquilera, director of the Chester County Highway Safety Project; and District Attorney Tom Hogan show off the PennDOT
West Chester Police Chief Scott L. Bohn (from left); Lori Aquilera, director of the Chester County Highway Safety Project; and District Attorney Tom Hogan show off the PennDOT 2015 Project of the Year Award.

The Chester County Highway Safety Project received the 2015 Project of the Year Award from PennDOT, said a press release from the District Attorney’s Office. The honor cited the “Cops in Crosswalks” program, an initiative to stop car collisions with pedestrians in congested areas.

Hogan called the Chester County Highway Safety Project, a program administered by his office and directed by Lori Aguilera, one of the “unsung heroes” of the county.

“Lori Aguilera and her team, working with Chester County law enforcement, do an outstanding job addressing traffic safety issues, from kids’ car seats to distracted driving and everything in between,” Hogan said in the release. “The ‘Cops in Crosswalks’ program is another example of a well-conceived program that helps make the streets of Chester County safer.”

The “Cops in Crosswalks” program represented a collaboration between the Chester County District Attorney’s Highway Safety Project and the West Chester Police Department. Under the program, the police conducted pedestrian enforcement details on multiple occasions around South High Street in West Chester, aiming to stop vehicle collisions with pedestrians in the high-density area.

The results of the program revealed some clear patterns, Hogan said. The majority of problems occurred when pedestrians crossed mid-block – traditional “jay-walking.” – where drivers did not expect to see them. In addition, the police saw many incidents of “distracted walking” – pedestrians literally walking into the middle of the street while texting or otherwise absorbed in their smart phones.

Finally, police cited multiple pedestrians for being under the influence of alcohol and wandering into the street. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 30 percent of pedestrians involved in collisions with vehicles are intoxicated.

“It was quite an honor to be recognized by PennDOT and to receive the Project of the Year Award,” said Aguilera in the release. “This was all about trying something new in our county to raise awareness on pedestrian safety issues, having support from our local police departments to conduct the enforcement details, and ultimately reducing the number of pedestrian-related vehicle crashes and fatalities in our area.”

West Chester Police Chief Scott L. Bohn said he believed the project helped to heighten safety in West Chester, which serves as a thriving business and entertainment destination for the region. “We are working hard to raise awareness of the dangers to pedestrians, and to provide leadership, expertise, and resources to reduce crashes and improve the quality of life in our community,” Bohn said.

Hogan said the program “effectively showed some of the primary causes of pedestrian-involved crashes” and how they can be prevented. “We hope that this award-winning Chester County program can be replicated across Pennsylvania,” he said, adding that he expects to implement it in other parts of the county.

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