News Release

UNC-Chapel Hill is launching public safety campaign
aimed at crosswalks, pedestrian and motorist violators

CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Public Safety’s Traffic and Pedestrian Safety (TAPS) Unit will soon begin a new campaign designed to increase pedestrian safety on campus by encouraging pedestrians to use signalized intersections and marked crosswalks. The campaign has three phases. On Wednesday (Jan.18), officers will begin a two-week preliminary phase, during which pedestrians crossing campus roadways in violation of state statutes will be verbally warned. This will be followed by a two-week period of written warnings. Beginning Feb. 13, people observed to be violating pedestrian safety laws will be issued citations totaling $135 with court costs.

"It has always been our goal to educate the entire campus community about pedestrian safety," said Lt. Col. Jeff McCracken, deputy chief of UNC’s public safety department. "We’ve primarily focused on motorists since we activated our TAPS unit in 2001, but pedestrian safety hinges on educating both drivers and pedestrians."

Citable offenses for pedestrians include impeding traffic by such actions as crossing a roadway outside of a marked crosswalk or crossing against a crosswalk signal. Motorists can be cited for speeding or failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

Pedestrians are urged to heed the following safety tips when negotiating the campus by foot or bicycle:

• Do not assume drivers can or will stop. It is the responsibility of the pedestrian to ensure that it is safe to proceed across the roadway.
• Traffic flow and/or congestion may prevent a driver from seeing pedestrians or from stopping. Stepping in front of oncoming traffic and expecting it to stop could cause an accident involving the pedestrian, the motorist or other motorists and may result in personal injury.
• Do not assume a driver has seen the pedestrian. Establish eye contact with the driver before entering a crosswalk.
• Watch all lanes to be crossed. Even though one vehicle has stopped, vehicles may pass in another lane or in an opposite direction.
• Cross the street within the marked lines of the crosswalk. The pedestrian’s full attention should be directed to oncoming traffic.
• If the pedestrian crosses the street at a place other than within a designated crosswalk or intersection, the vehicle has the right-of-way. It is the pedestrian’s responsibility to yield to the vehicle.
• Use good judgment. Watch traffic at all times. Just having the right-of-way will not prevent a pedestrian from being hit.

Since the creation of the three-member TAPS unit, hundreds of citations have been issued to motorists for failure to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks. The unit also has conducted nearly 500 pedestrian safety programs in residence halls, fraternities, sororities and with other campus groups.

Those wishing to report a problem area or notify public safety of potential problems for motorists or pedestrians on campus are encouraged to call the pedestrian hotline at (919) 843-PEDS (7337).

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Department of Public Safety contact: Randy Young, (919) 962-1502, randy@dps.publicsafety.unc.edu

News Services contact: Lisa Katz (919) 962-2093