Kalamazoo Police to Crackdown on Jaywalking – And It’s About Time

Maybe you wouldn't think that jaywalking in Kalamazoo is a big deal? You might reconsider that next time someone tries running across 5 lanes of Stadium Drive traffic in front of you.

Kalamazoo is one of the leading cities in Michigan for car-pedestrian accidents and one of three that is being targeted for a crackdown on jaywalkers.

According to the Detroit Free Press, in addition to Kalamazoo, police in Detroit and Warren will be looking for those crosswalk scofflaws.

And it's not just the crime of jaywalking.

Officers also will be looking for pedestrians violations that include not following traffic signals, not walking on a sidewalk, not walking facing traffic when on a roadway, and failing to yield to drivers with the right-of-way....

About 70 percent of deadly car-pedestrian crashes involved either failing to crossing at an intersection or involved alcohol, each factor leading to about 35 percent of the fatalities. Of the alcohol-related crashes, 80 percent of pedestrians had been drinking.

“State, regional, and local organizations are working hard to reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries in Michigan, but there is still a lot more we can do,” said Michael Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. “This enforcement period aims to educate community members about the importance of pedestrian safety and the traffic laws designed to protect them.”

The crackdown runs the week of March 11.

This YouTube video shows a jaywalking, not in Kalamazoo, but on Kalamazoo Street in Grand Rapids - must be something about the name that makes people cross the street dangerously.

[h/t WMMQ]