Undercover Operation Nets Thirty-Five Citations for Failure to Yield
It just isn’t safe to walk the streets of Madison, Wisconsin anymore. Well, technically speaking, it just isn’t safe to cross the street, because drivers in that area are not particularly pedestrian-friendly as revealed by the results of an undercover operation recently conducted by the Madison Police Department. The operation involved an undercover officer posing as a pedestrian and crossing the street repeatedly over a four-hour period in a crosswalk. The location was chosen because it is a high-traffic area that also has a high number of pedestrians. The high number of pedestrians may not serve to deter drivers in the area, however, as some drivers reportedly almost ran over the officer despite the officer being in a crosswalk. Thirty-five drivers were cited in all for failure to yield.
Failure to yield is increasingly becoming a problem as drivers get busier and more distracted every day. This blog has discussed the causes and effects of distracted driving, which may be a major factor in why drivers are unaware of pedestrians. After all, it is hard to notice that a human being is in the road in front of you if you aren’t actually looking at the road. This phenomenon has increased in scope and potential effect since the advent of text messaging, which causes many drivers to completely divert their attention away from the road in front of them, even if only for a second, to immediately answer such pressing questions as “Wut r u doin 2day?.” Another potential reason for the failure to yield violations may simply be that the drivers are driving too fast to stop for the pedestrians, whether it be because they are in a hurry or because they do not care about the presence of pedestrians.
Tennessee, and every other state, puts a duty on its drivers to keep a proper lookout on the road ahead as well as a duty to drive safely when pedestrians are present. The latter duty includes the duty not to endanger the lives of those who are lawfully using a crosswalk by nearly mowing them over with your vehicle. Failing to perform these duties is negligent driving, and can result in the driver being liable for medical expenses, lost wages, wrongful death, and any other damages or injuries resulting from a car accident in Tennessee caused by the driver’s negligence.
