Crime & Safety
Top Brass Urge 'Common Sense' Rules of the Road
Drivers have to yield to pedestrians; pedestrians have to be
Police and fire officials from across the Town of East Hampton are joining together to remind drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists to use caution on the roads this holiday weekend.
In light of what was one of the deadliest summers on the roads last year, the town and village police, along with the East Hampton Town Fire Chiefs' Association to offer "common sense safety tips" to help make summer 2013 a safer one.
Springs Fire Department Chief Ben Miller, the president of the town chiefs' association, said his colleagues felt it was important to help remind everyone using the roads to pay closer attention. They respond to many of the calls after accidents take place, and Miller said many could be avoided. "Pay attention. Use common sense. I know common sense isn’t all that common sometimes," he said.
While the overall amount of accidents in year to year comparisons changed very little, fatal accidents were on the rise in East Hampton last year. In 2012, there were eight fatal accidents, four of which happened during the summer, including the death of 17-year-old Jeffrey Ahn, as he was walking on a busy road in Amagansett. In 2010, there were a total of four and in 2011 there was one.
Only one of those fatalities was alcohol-related. One was a suicide and two were caused by medical-related issues, he said. The only trend appeared to be driver inattention, Chief Ed Ecker said in an interview last year.
"We all know that during the summer season our community experiences increased vehicular and bicycle traffic, increased pedestrian traffic, and increased police, ambulance, and fire department personnel responding to emergencies on our roadways," the departments said in a public safety message released earlier this week.Already this summer, there has been one fatality on the road — 14-year-old Anna Lytton was killed while riding her bicycle in East Hampton Village.
The officials offered the following "rules of the road" for drivers to keep in mind this summer:
- Yield the right of way to pedestrians in marked crosswalks.
- Be especially alert when approaching a marked crosswalk.
- Do not pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk.
- Ensure pedestrians have made it safely across the street before proceeding.
- Follow all posted speed limits, especially in school zones and around playgrounds.
- Always yield to all emergency vehicles.
For pedestrians and cyclists:
- Wait until cars have come to a complete stop before entering the roadway.
- Concentrate while crossing the road, keeping an eye out for any potential danger.
- Never dart into traffic, particularly from behind parked vehicles.
- Use sidewalks when possible. Where these is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far right as possible, and in a single line with other people.
- Bicyclists ride with traffic and always wear properly fitted safety equipment.
- Walk your bike across intersections.
Do you have any other safety tips for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists? Leave a comment below.
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