Operation Best Foot Forward: Back to School promotes pedestrian safety at crosswalks as students prepare for new school year

As students throughout Central Florida prepare for a return to the classroom, the Best Foot Forward for Pedestrian Safety program is gearing up for its quarterly pedestrian safety enforcement effort, dubbed Operation Best Foot Forward, to bring awareness and education to drivers to keep our youngest pedestrians safe as they walk to and from school. 

 

During Operation Best Foot Forward, plainclothes officers and deputies will cross streets at marked crosswalks, giving drivers enough time to slow down and stop safely. Drivers who do not stop as Florida law requires will be pulled over and face a minimum $164 citation and three (3) points on their driver’s license. Most crosswalks chosen for enforcement are within one mile of a school where students walk. 

 

Law enforcement agencies across Brevard, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia Counties will conduct this two-week high-visibility crosswalk enforcement operation starting Tuesday, July 23rd, and concluding Friday, August 2nd. These efforts align with students returning to school in August.  

 

 

According to data collected by the Best Foot Forward program this year, drivers in Central Florida are only yielding to pedestrians at school crossings 45% of the time. 

 

 

Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report last year that stated how “child pedestrian mortality rates have shown an increase of 11% since 2013, driven by increases among 10- to 14-year-olds and 15- to 19-year-olds,” demonstrating the need for driver yield law enforcement near schools to protect students that will be walking and biking to their classes in August. 

 

Operation Best Foot Forward is part of the Best Foot Forward coalition’s larger effort to improve road safety. Studies show that driver behavior changes when enforcement strategies, education, and engineering are combined over a sustained period.

 

 

Crosswalk Location	Enforcement Agency	Nearby School	2024 Driver Yield Rate
S. Beach St. & Cedar St.	Daytona Beach Police Department	Turie T. Small Elementary School	40%
NE 8th Ave. & NE 4th St.	Ocala Police Department	Wyomina Park Elementary School	14%
Marion Oaks Course & 149th St.	Marion County Sheriff's Office	Sunrise Elementary School	34%
Stadium Pkwy Midblock S. of Judge Fran Jamieson Way	Brevard County Sheriff's Office	Viera Charter &   Viera High School	53%
S. Atlantic Ave. & Bellemead Dr.	Daytona Beach Shores  Dept. of Public Safety	RJ Longstreet Elementary School	48%
Oakland Ave. at Oakland Charter School	Oakland Police Department	Oakland Charter School	58%
Jason Dwelley & Brush Dr.	Apopka Police Department	Wolf Lake Middle School	39%
Millenia Blvd. & Timarron Dr.	Orlando Police Department	Millennia Gardens Elementary School	11%
Beggs Rd. & Armstrong Rd.	Orange County Sheriff's Office	Lockhart Elementary School	44%
Bear Lake Rd. & McNeil Rd	Seminole County Sheriff's Office	Teague Middle School	26%
E. Airport Blvd. & S. Park Ave.	Seminole County Sheriff's Office	Pinecrest Elementary School	23%
10th St. & Mississippi Ave.	St. Cloud Police Department	St. Cloud Middle School & Michigan Ave. Elementary	33%

 

About the Best Foot Forward for Pedestrian Safety Program  

The Best Foot Forward for Pedestrian Safety (BFF) program is administered by the local non-profit Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF). BFF was created to minimize the conflict between pedestrians and drivers by focusing on one specific behavior change – getting more drivers to yield for pedestrians at marked crosswalks as Florida law requires. More than a campaign, Best Foot Forward is a behavior change-based program designed to improve road safety through consistent and persistent education, high-visibility crosswalk enforcement, and low-cost engineering countermeasures at marked crosswalks. Best Foot Forward operates in six Central Florida counties and is the largest pedestrian-focused grassroots coalition in the nation, working with more than 40 local and regional partners. Since launching in 2012, the percentage of drivers yielding to people in marked crosswalks has increased from 17% to more than 50% on roads with a speed limit of 35 mph and lower and 2% to 45% on roads 40 mph and higher. To learn more, visit iyield4peds.org. 

 

About Bike/Walk Central Florida: 

Bike Walk Central Florida (BWCF) is a regional advocacy organization for bicyclists and pedestrians. Since 2010, the organization has worked on behalf of local pedestrians and bicyclists to advocate for safe and convenient places for people to bike and walk, regardless of where they live or where they need to go.  Focusing on their four pillars of policy, perception, practice and sustainability, BWCF works tirelessly to advocate for policies, programs and infrastructure that is fair and accessible to all.   
                                                        

The full enforcement schedule is below but can also be viewed here: https://www.iyield4peds.org/operationbff/