Full Notification

The City of Sebastopol prides itself on being a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly community. In order to ensure that its community members and visitors have the safest experience possible, the Sebastopol Police Department would like to remind everyone, that everyone plays a role in bicycle and pedestrian safety.

The City has gone to great lengths to increase pedestrian and traffic safety, including working with CalTrans to reconfigure sections of State Routes 12 and 116, as well as city streets to accommodate a large bike lane, ongoing assessments of traffic signal timing, the installation of pedestrian-activated crossing signals, the addition of crosswalk extensions at key crossing locations, and also ongoing assessments of any potentially hazardous or unsafe traffic situations brought to our attention by our community members.

September is Pedestrian Safety Month, and California continues to see more and more pedestrians getting injured or killed on roads. In 2016, 867 pedestrians were killed and more than 14,000 injured in California alone. A report released earlier this year by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) projected that more than 6,200 pedestrians were killed in the United States last year, the highest number since 1990. So far this year, there have been 47 traffic collisions that resulted in injuries in the City of Sebastopol. 18 of these collisions involved pedestrians or bicyclists.

In order to reduce the number of collisions involving pedestrians, the Sebastopol Police Department will be concentrating enforcement efforts on pedestrian safety for the month of September, specifically focused on drivers and pedestrians who violate traffic laws that increase the risk of crashes. These violations include speeding, driving or walking distracted and/or impaired, failing to stop for signs and signals, and not yielding to drivers/pedestrians who have the right of way.

Despite advancements in vehicle technology that increase the chance of survival for drivers and passengers in crashes, pedestrians face the same amount of risk of getting seriously injured or killed when struck by a vehicle.

The Sebastopol Police Department and the California Office of Traffic Safety offers steps drivers and pedestrians can take to keep everyone safe:
For Pedestrians
• Look left-right-left before crossing the street. Watch for cars turning and obey traffic signals.
• Only cross the street in marked crosswalks, preferably crosswalks at stop signs or signals.
• Avoid distractions. Stay off the phone while walking.
• Make eye contact with drivers. Don’t assume drivers can see you.
• Be seen. Wear bright clothing during the day and use a flashlight at night.
• Always walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the shoulder, facing traffic and as far away from cars as possible.
• Do not walk near traffic after drinking or using drugs that affect judgment and coordination.

For Drivers
• Follow the speed limit. The higher the speed, the longer it takes to stop.
• Never drive distracted or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
• Look out for people walking, especially at night and in poorly lit areas.
• Pedestrians have the right of way at crosswalks even if they are not at a stop sign or signal. Prepare to stop when a pedestrian enters a crosswalk.
• Avoid blocking the crosswalk when attempting to make a right-hand turn.
• Be careful backing up and leaving parking spaces in shopping centers with heavy foot traffic.