October 22, 2007

Charlottesville Police say they've seen an increase in pedestrians getting hit in Charlottesville. Monday, they started cracking down on drivers who are not yielding to pedestrians.

As a graduate student at the University of Virginia, David Cosper frequently walks around Charlottesville. He says he never feels too confident about crossing the street.

"Not too long ago I got three quarters across the street carrying instruments, baggage, and stuff and you know, three cars had stopped, but someone else just rolled right through and just about hit me," he said.

Charlottesville Police say there has been an increase in pedestrian accidents. So, city police are teaming up with the University of Virginia.

Last week, they stopped drivers who did not yield the right of way to pedestrians and gave them warnings. This week, they're handing out tickets.

Sergeant L.A. Durrette says they'll try this enforcement all week, monitor the results, and go from there.

"You have to yield to the pedestrians once they have actively started walking inside the cross walk," Sergeant Durrette says.

And, once a car stops for a pedestrian, both lanes of traffic must stop too.

Not everyone we spoke to has a tough time crossing.

Arun Bala is a UVa student and she says, "I've never had a problem; I walk here all the time."

Cosper says he's happy to have the help from police.

Sergeant Durrette says as a pedestrian, you need to give drivers enough time to see you and react. He adds it's the safest choice to cross at designated crosswalks.