Bergen County officials begin pedestrian safety program

<p>Bergen County law enforcement officials were out in Fort Lee Tuesday to remind drivers and pedestrians to be safe on the roads.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 13, 2017, 12:04 AM

Updated 2,551 days ago

Share:

Bergen County law enforcement officials were out in Fort Lee Tuesday to remind drivers and pedestrians to be safe on the roads.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office says that pedestrian accidents are on the rise, and they attributed it mostly due to everyday distractions.
"It’s a good time to be able to talk about it because we're back to school,” says prosecutor spokeswoman Maureen Parenta. “It's top of mind for a lot of people, but what we're finding is, is that there are a lot of distracted drivers and there’s a lot of distracted pedestrians. That combination is not a good thing."
Fort Lee police posted outside the high school on Lemoine Avenue for the safety program. It is an area where students must cross a very busy roadway.
“Our numbers of struck pedestrians are projected to be higher than they were last year,” says Fort Lee Police Capt. Stephen Gallagher. “We’re trying to lower our numbers. Our goal would be to have zero pedestrians struck in any given year.”
Gallagher says that he and his team have seen drivers and pedestrians distracted by phones or music while driving or crossing the street.
The campaign’s goal is to educate drivers and pedestrians about ways to stay safe while on the road.