Two-Day Crosswalk Sting Nets 144 Citations

Over the course of July 22-23, Goleta and Santa Barbara police departments and the California Highway Patrol cited 144 drivers for not yielding to pedestrians crossing the street. One driver was arrested for driving under the influence, and two vehicles were towed due to drivers with suspended licenses.

Of the 144 citations handed out during the crosswalk sting, 65 were in the city of Goleta. Plainclothes police officers and volunteer civilians walked across crosswalks in about a dozen spots while deputies watched for motorists who did not yield the right of way to the pedestrians.

Locations for the sting were based on volume of vehicle traffic, pedestrian traffic, citizen complaints, and documented injury collisions, and they included Cathedral Oaks Road and Santa Marguerita Drive and State Street and Calle Palo Colorado. All locations had a marked crosswalk, but none had a traffic signal.

The fine for not yielding the right-of-way to pedestrians on a marked crosswalk can be as high as $175. A $400 dollar fine can be given if a vehicle passes a vehicle that has stopped for a coming pedestrian.

More crosswalk enforcement operations can be expected in the future. In a Goleta Police Department press release, City of Goleta Public Safety Director Vyto Adomaitis said, “By using enforcement operations, we can continue to educate the public on safe driving techniques.”