MEDFORD, Ore. — The Medford Police Department is reminding drivers to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.
On Saturday, police put on a pedestrian safety traffic sting at the corner of Poplar and Progress in Medford where drivers were put to the test to see if they follow state law. An undercover police officer walked back and forth through the intersection.
The law says once a pedestrian’s foot hits the street at a designated crosswalk, oncoming drivers must yield. Police said the purpose of the operation is to promote awareness of pedestrian safety laws and reduce accidents.
“There’s been multiple pedestrian fatalities just in the city of Medford in the last few years and so what these operations do is bring a lot of awareness to the public through enforcement and also through warnings that we give during the course of the operation,” said Sgt. Geoff Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick said the sting operations are funded through grants through the state.
“We’ve issued multiple citations not only for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk but also cell phone violations, seat belt violations and some of the major things we’ve seen today is people on their cell phones and then not seeing the pedestrian—that’s been a big issue today,” Kirkpatrick said.
In four hours, more than 20 citations were given out for various violations.
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