Increasing Crosswalk Safety to Prevent Injuries

Increasing Crosswalk Safety to Prevent Injuries
Why this petition matters
We are trying to address the problem of pedestrian injuries and deaths because of uncontrolled crosswalks not being safe to cross; preferably at night. Uncontrolled pedestrian crossing locations occur where sidewalks or walkways intersect a roadway at a location where no traffic control like a traffic signal or STOP sign is present. These common crossing types occur at intersections and at non-intersection or midblock locations. Overall, uncontrolled pedestrian crossing locations correspond to higher pedestrian crash rates, often due to inadequate pedestrian crossing accommodations. Making the designated changes that are essential for pedestrian safety will improve the community by making it safer for both drivers and people crossing the road. Schools for example require crosswalks for kids walking to and from school. Some places only have a few crosswalks while some areas lack crossing indicators. Drivers can make mistakes sometimes and there are occasions where accidents happen. Drivers can be distracted or cannot see someone crossing due to bad lighting or poor crossing indicators. Same goes for pedestrians crossing as they can also be distracted or simply not paying attention. This can lead to a pedestrian getting hit, causing serious injuries or even death. Drivers can sway out of control in an attempt to not hit a pedestrian crossing in a last minute decisions and result in them crashing, injuring themselves. Roadways are dangerous and should be taken seriously. It is important to recognize these incidents and look at what we can do as a community to bring injuries and deaths, caused from something that can be easily reduced with small changes, and bring it to a stop. Situations like this are common in our city of Sacramento and improving how crosswalks are will create a proper, safe, environment for citizens.