SEPTA Launches Safety Blitz Focused On Distracted Commuters
By Jan Carabeo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- SEPTA is launching a safety blitz on one of their busiest rail lines to highlight the dangers of distracted commuting.
Stepping up patrols on the Market Frankford Line, SEPTA wants to remind riders not to be so engrossed in music, reading, social media and phones that they cross the yellow line on train platforms.
This effort is called "Stay Back From The Edge."
Police officers and safety officers will be out at the Somerset station, which serves SEPTA's Market Frankford Line, reminding commuters to be aware of their surroundings.
In the meantime, SEPTA police are stepping up patrols in light of recent violence that sometimes occurs during peak hours when students flood the system. They hope to prevent brawls, like one recently captured by cell phone footage.
"We have about an extra hundred officers on duty, throughout our system at various locations," says SEPTA's Jerri Williams. "Usually where we have a lot of schools feeding into the system, that is where those officers will be."
The safety blitz will happen between 6:30am and 9:30am.