Media Contact: Erik Linden @ DDOT, 202-671-2004 or Karyn LeBlanc @ DDOT, 202-671-3490

(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) today held a pedestrian safety enforcement event in Northwest.

The event featured crosswalk enforcement targeting motorists who don’t stop for pedestrians. It also targeted motorists who are speeding and pedestrians who cross against signals and endanger themselves in traffic.

“Walking is one of the best ways to get around our city, and I want our pedestrians to know it’s safe to cross the street,” said Mayor Fenty. “So we’re going to make sure MPD and DDOT continue working with our regional partners to enforce our traffic laws.”

Today’s enforcement took place along Wisconsin Avenue—a high pedestrian accident zone. The location is a heavily-used crosswalk without signals where drivers frequently fail to give pedestrians the right of way. It is also in the vicinity of one of the District’s pedestrian fatalities this year.

MPD Chief Cathy Lanier said: “The safety of our citizens is my biggest concern. Through education, outreach and enforcement we can all work together to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities.”

Emeka Moneme, DDOT Director said: “We’ve developed a tremendous working partnership with MPD on education and enforcement and I look forward to continuing to build on that toward a safer pedestrian environment in the District.”

Background: Twenty five pedestrians have been killed so far this year in the District, up from 17 in all of 2006.

Several fatalities were primarily caused by drivers failing to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, or by drivers passing vehicles stopped for pedestrians in a crosswalk.

Recent analysis of high pedestrian crash intersections in the District shows that fewer than half of all drivers yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

A pedestrian hit by a driver traveling at 40 mph has a 90 percent chance of dying. A pedestrian hit by a driver traveling at 25 mph has a 15 percent chance of dying.