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Cite motorists who don’t yield to pedestrians

1 min read

The Mt. Lebanon Police Department recently announced a crackdown on jaywalkers.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition) defines jaywalking: “crossing a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic.”

So why do people do it? The reasons are many. Stupidity. Just for the hell of it. Perhaps a latent death wish. It’s safer.

Safer? Many times it is because motorists thumb their noses at the State Motor Vehicle Code by refusing to let pedestrians cross at clearly marked crosswalks.

On Potomac Avenue in Dormont, crosswalks are not clearly marked because the borough is apparently too cheap or lazy to paint them.

Cracking down on jaywalkers is a start, but police departments must also start issuing citations to motorists who refuse to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks.

Of course, issuing a citation to a jaywalker is easier than citing a motorist for refusing to yield to a pedestrian and takes longer, but shouldn’t all provisions of the State Motor Vehicle Code be enforced by those sworn to do it?

Ross A. Matlack Jr.

Mt. Lebanon

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