Distracted Driving and Pedestrian Safety Top City Concerns

If you walk and drive in Glendale, this is information you need to know. In the Allstate’s 2015 Best Drivers Report, Glendale ranked seventh in the U.S. Cities With The Most Crash-Prone Drivers. Los Angeles ranked 10th and Boston ranked first. The City of Glendale is doing its part and we must do ours.

April is recognized as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and on April 20, the Glendale Police Dept., along with the CHP, police, sheriff, NHTSA and NTSB, will join the statewide “Zero Tolerance” enforcement campaign and will be especially vigilant in looking for distracted drivers. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving in an attempt to change behavior and save lives – not to write as many citations as possible. The problem of distracted driving is significant, and is no surprise to any of us. Distracted driving continues to be a problem, especially as the use of smart phones increases. The GPD wants to help drivers understand the importance of focusing on their driving. The Dept. of Transportation noted that at any given moment during daylight hours, more than 660,000 vehicles are being driven by someone using a hand-held cellphone. So be on the alert not only tomorrow, but every day. According to the NHTSA, crashes are up. The scientific evidence is solid. The dangers are real, and they apply to all of us. We need to silence the distractions.

Here are some safe-driving tips: Allow plenty of time to reach your destination and anticipate delays so you don’t feel rushed; be alert for changing traffic conditions by listening to traffic reports or use a navigation system; plot a course ahead of time to find the fastest way to get to a destination. Things happen quickly on a busy city street. Switch off the phone, keep the kids otherwise engaged and steadfastly maintain both hands on the wheel and keep both eyes on the road at all times.

Regarding pedestrian safety, we all know that this is a big problem in Glendale as well and the City is also taking steps to address this concern. The Community Development Dept. – Urban Design & Mobility Dept. has recently launched the Glendale Walks Campaign. In partnership with T&T Public Relations and Safe Moves, Glendale Walks is a Citywide Safety Education Initiative and Safe Routes to School Program that will consolidate existing City and community safety programs into a combined and coordinated effort that will reach out to all sectors of the Glendale population. This includes senior citizens, who are disproportionately affected by pedestrian accidents in the community. The UD&MD is currently focusing on raising awareness about pedestrian safety and has created a pedestrian safety survey that they would like you to participate in. If you are interested in participating in the survey log onto www.glendaleca.gov and search Pedestrian Safety Survey and click on the link. Remember we can all do our part by not being a distracted driver and making sure as pedestrians we are following the rules by only using designated crosswalks and staying on the sidewalks.

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  melinda clarke