Law enforcement in Okotoks and across the province are focusing on pedestrian safety for the month of October

This from the Alberta Traffic Safety calendar which is looking to make sure pedestrians and drivers are safely sharing the road.

Peter Stapley, Municipal Enforcement Manager for the Town of Okotoks, has a few tips to make sure pedestrians are able to cross the road unharmed.

"Make sure that as a pedestrian and as a driver that you're making contact with other users of the road. Eye contact to make sure that pedestrians see you and that the driver sees a pedestrian prior to walking onto the street. Signal your intentions with the 'point, pause, and proceed.' The other thing is that pedestrians need to be awater that they have the right of way, however, that doesn't mean that they should just walk out without being sure it's going to be safe to do so."

Stapley adds that motorists who don't respect crosswalks will face a hefty fine.

"For a vehicle that fails to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk it is a $776 fine, so it's a big one. So when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk and you're driving by when they're in there, that's when that fine applies. The same fine of $776 also applies to a motor vehicle that passes another vehicle stopped at a crosswalk." he explains. "So if you're coming up to a crosswalk and somebody's already stopped there you cannot pass that vehicle."

 

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