Buellton Crosswalk Sting

Buellton - September 10th, 2009

Motorists beware, Buellton is cracking down on motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians trying to cross the street.  On Thursday, September 10, 2009, police used a plainclothes deputy to walk across a crosswalk on state highway 246.  Uniformed motorcycle deputies then watched for motorists who did not yield the right-of-way.  Six drivers were cited for crosswalk violations during the 1½ hour operation.

“That is a disturbing number of potential tragedies that could have occurred in a very short period of time,” said Sheriff’s Lieutenant Julie McCammon, Buellton’s Police Chief.  “We will have more of these operations in the future.”  This was the sixth operation of this type in the City since August of 2007.

State Highway 246, which runs through the city, is a major commuter artery.  Residents tell police they are afraid to cross the highway because drivers do not yield to pedestrians.  “School has just started again,” said Win Smith, the City’s Traffic Deputy, so we thought it would be a good time to remind people to watch for pedestrians.  Most motorists don’t purposely drive through crosswalks containing pedestrians.  They forget to look for them or are just plain inattentive.”

One of the cited motorists said she was “rockin’ out to her music.”  By the time she refocused on her driving, it was too late, and she had driven right past the pedestrian in the crosswalk.

The City of Buellton contracts with the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department for police services.

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