LITITZ BOROUGH - Pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility between both pedestrians and drivers. As we enter into the warmer weather, drivers and pedestrians are likely to encounter each other more often as more people are out walking. Starting today, May 3rd, LBPD officers will be performing pedestrian high visibility engagement (HVE). The purpose of the HVE is to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities. In Pennsylvania, during 2019, there were 4,295 pedestrian-involved crashes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Of those, 154 were fatal. Overall pedestrian-involved crashes account for 3.3% of the total reported traffic crashes, but account for 14.5% of all traffic crash fatalities.
The LBPD HVE identifies pedestrian-related concerns through requiring thorough crash report submissions by LBPD officers, reviewing and analyzing crash reports, and summarizing findings. This provides a framework to concentrate officer efforts relative to time, weather, location and contributing action (pedestrian or driver) associated with pedestrian-involved crashes in Lititz Borough. This data-driven analysis based on LBPD specific data allows officers to address pedestrian safety issues which are validated through agency data.
HVE is designed to change unlawful traffic behaviors and reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities. It is not a strategy to increase citations. Through the use of fair game rules, enforcement is aimed at both driver and pedestrian contributing actions that could lead to injury or death. The LBPD utilizes public and media outreach of data related to HVE and identified pedestrian-involved crash data for the purposes of driver and pedestrian education and awareness.
An agency review of "reportable" (injury or death) pedestrian-involved crashes in Lititz Borough from 2015 through 2019 indicates:
Pedestrian-involved crash locations:
Time of day:
Weather:
Primary contributing unit type (pedestrian v. driver):
Driver contributing actions:
Pedestrian contributing actions:
Pedestrian location:
For PennDOT information on pedestrian safety, click here.
For Pennsylvania law related to pedestrians, click here.
Media contact: Media@LititzPD.org.
