With the warm weather on the horizon, traffic safety commissions across the country are getting ready for more bicyclists and pedestrians on the road.
One region in particular, is significantly bumping up their efforts. From Northern Virginia into suburban Maryland, police are gearing up for a springtime crackdown of motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians that break traffic safety laws.
It’s a good thing too, in the past year there were more than 3,000 crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists with 70 fatalities across the D.C. region. To top it off, 14 pedestrians were struck and killed by vehicles.
No wonder the local law enforcement is looking for ways to increase traffic safety awareness in the area. “Tired Faces”, as the D.C. police department is calling it, is designed to shock the viewer – and hopefully raise safety awareness for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. The billboards call attention to the dangers confronting pedestrians and bicyclists by plastering larger-than-life faces on buses and in transit shelters in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland.
The main mission of this campaign is to urge motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists to obey signs, signals, and traffic laws. It also urges everyone to be especially careful at intersections.
The most important aspect of the campaign is to encourage everyone to pay close attention to one another. On average, pedestrians and bicyclists account for 30% of all traffic fatalities in the Washington region, so this campaign is a great idea that could potentially spread awareness around the county.
This campaign will run through May 13, and hopefully it saves some lives in the process. Feel free to share this post with your friends, and remind them to pay attention while they’re driving/biking/walking. If everyone looks out for one another more lives will be saved!
Image credit: Montgomery County, MD