Folsom police conducting pedestrian safety operation ahead of first day of school
FOLSOM – Before the bell rings on the first day of school, Folsom police kicked off a pedestrian safety operation.
They want to remind folks how important it is to pay attention to crosswalks when school is in session.
"There's times where we have crossed and people don't stop and they have plenty of time to stop," said a woman who works as a nanny for a family who lives near Sutter Middle School.
She says just walking across the street to the school is dangerous.
"This is a school zone and during school, it gets chaotic too, something does need to be done. There are just a ton of people that are breaking the law," she said.
"The one time you don't pay attention it could be a kid," said Folsom Police Officer Linh Co.
Folsom police are conducting an operation to crack down on illegal and dangerous violations by both pedestrians and drivers. They say pedestrian-related accidents are on the rise during the summertime. They want to remind drivers to pay extra attention with schools starting back up.
"Our biggest concern right now is if they can't stop for an adult, I can't imagine they can stop for children as well," Vo said.
Motor officers spread out in various locations near crosswalks and schools on the lookout for distracted drivers and pedestrians. They say the operation has kept them busy.
"It's showing lights and blinking. It's showing people hey somebody's about to cross right now so if they can't see that and they can't see an adult crossing, clearly they're not paying attention," Vo said.
"Monthly, weekly, sometimes daily, there's an accident or you hear the skid marks over here. Soon it's going to be a child that gets hurt with school back in session," the nanny said.
Folsom police are handing out citations, but their main goal is to educate.
"Key thing is safety. Every life matters. So that's why we want to bring our attention to parents and drivers out there. Be careful. There's going to be kids, adults, all ages walking around," Vo said.
But it's not only drivers. Police said pedestrians don't always have the right of way and if you're out walking around and not paying attention, you could be cited.