CHP conducts pedestrian safety operation in Orcutt

ORCUTT, Calif. - During that early morning hour when parents are dropping kids off at
school, traffic gets busy.

"… In the last couple weeks we’ve seen pedestrians school age children get
struck by vehicles," said officer Ben Smith of the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officers are stepping up efforts to make the roads are safer starting with an awareness campaign.

" ... It's going really well ... our goal today is to promote pedestrian safety within
the school zones by educating the motorists in public and basically we feel
we can accomplish this by making key contacts have mu patrol as well as
enforcement," said officer Joseph Rodriguez of the California Highway Patrol.

Officers will be using their motorcycle squad to patrol the Orcutt area
during school drop off and pick-ups.

" ... So we have stickers to hand out to the kids ... and that's our way to contact
children and provide safety tips when we do that," said Smith.

The operation's focus is on drivers and pedestrians who fail to yield
the right-of-way or who take unsafe and illegal actions.

"Remember when entering a school zone ... be aware of your surroundings. Be
patient ... Give yourself extra time to dropping off your
children," said Rodriguez.

Officers are stepping up their patrols near crosswalks and areas with a high number crashes involving pedestrians.

Drivers committing violations may receive citations and written or verbal warnings.