{"id":26245,"date":"2024-08-08T17:29:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T17:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-state-patrol-reminds-pedestrians-to-follow-traffic-laws\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T05:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:36:00","slug":"colorado-state-patrol-reminds-pedestrians-to-follow-traffic-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-state-patrol-reminds-pedestrians-to-follow-traffic-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado State Patrol reminds pedestrians to follow traffic laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=124e23fd-01af-42a3-859c-a783c6fad783&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1973\" alt=\"A crosswalk signal on E. Main Street in Cortez indicates that left-turning traffic is allowed while the walk signal allows pedestrians to cross. Vehicles turning left on a flashing yellow arrow must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians in the crosswalk. Another sign instructs turning vehicles to yield to pedestrians.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A crosswalk signal on E. Main Street in Cortez indicates that left-turning traffic is allowed while the walk signal allows pedestrians to cross. Vehicles turning left on a flashing yellow arrow must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians in the crosswalk. Another sign instructs turning vehicles to yield to pedestrians.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jim Mimiaga\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Pedestrian deaths hit a record in 2023 in Colorado, according to the Colorado State Patrol. With 153 deaths last year, that was an 18% increase from 2022.<\/p>\n<p>CSP said it\u2019s important for pedestrians to \u201cavoid complacency\u201d about traffic rules that are put in place to protect everyone. They also remind that motorists need to be on the lookout for pedestrians and bikers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no question about who will suffer the most in a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle,\u201d said Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. \u201cWhether it\u2019s self-preservation or common sense, pedestrians must be just as aware of their surroundings as motorists are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CSP warns that there are distractions everywhere, including cellphone use and headphones that block traffic noise. CPS advises that pedestrians focus on where they are going. People of all ages are vulnerable to pedestrian involved incidents, and while these incidents happen at all times of day, they primarily occur at night.<\/p>\n<p>Pedestrians should be alert and aware of their surroundings, the release said. If a pedestrian contributes to the collision in some way, they may take partial or full fault for the incident.<\/p>\n<p>The most common citations given for a pedestrian-involved incident involved individuals disregarding safety devices trying to protect everyone. In 2023, 48 citations were given for pedestrians disregarding traffic control devices. The No. 2 citation was failing to use the roadway as required, either on foot or on bicycle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing a better pedestrian means demonstrating responsibility for your personal safety,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n<p>CSP offers tips for pedestrian safety in collaboration with the National Safety Council. They are:<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-x-im-unordered-list\">Walk on the sidewalk when possible, or facing traffic when not possible.Follow all rules of the road, and obey traffic signs and signals.When available, cross streets at a crosswalk.Look left, right, then left again, and make eye contact with drivers to ensure they will stop.Stay alert by avoiding cellphone use or wearing earbuds that will block traffic noise.Avoid alcohol and drug impairment when walking and biking.Wear bright or reflective colors at night, or use a flashlight.Children under the age of 10 should cross the street with an adult.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2023 was a record year for pedestrian deaths in Colorado<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-26245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79283,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26245\/revisions\/79283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26245"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=26245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}