BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 24, 2020
Last year, 17 pedestrians died after being struck by vehicles in Maine. That was three times the number who died in 2018, and higher than the average for the previous four years, which was 12 pedestrian fatalities a year. Nationally, the number of pedestrian deaths in 2018 was the highest in almost three decades. State law requires that motorists “yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian who is crossing within a marked crosswalk or to a pedestrian who has shown visible intent to enter the marked crosswalk.” Too often, this is not happening. Coupling crosswalks with signs, speed bumps and other features to call drivers’ attention to them make the crosswalks more effective. Motorists, especially in downtown areas with pedestrians, need to slow down, put down the cellphone (that is state law now), and pay attention to the road and what is around them.