Police target drivers who don't yield to pedestrians in Orlando, Orange Co.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orlando police and Orange County deputies were out ticketing drivers who don't yield to people in crosswalks.

Operation Best Foot Forward is part of a county-wide effort to cut down on the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries in Orange County and the City of Orlando.

At intersections throughout the county, undercover officers are strolling the crosswalks while uniformed officers wait for drivers to drive right past without stopping.

Channel 9's Steve Barrett was there when drivers nearly hit a decoy officer who was in a crosswalk along Michigan Avenue on Tuesday.

"We get a lot of drivers that yield to animals in the road, yet they fail to yield to humans," said Sgt. Jerry Goglas.

"When we have someone walk out into traffic at a marked crosswalk, a lot drivers don't yield and they either go to the left and zoom around the person or just don't stop at all," said Amanda Day of Best Foot Forward.

At one of the locations, there was not only a permanent crosswalk sign, but there was also a sign warning that police were watching.

"Since June, running Operation Best Foot Forward, we've had over 2,700 warnings issued to drivers and over 750 citations," said Goglas.

And police said the tickets almost always hold up in court. They said it's not entrapment, rather enforcement that will make Orlando a safer place for pedestrians.

"In metro Orlando, we're No. 1 for most pedestrian accidents and deaths, so the goal is really just to educate drivers," said Day.

If cited, the tickets are $164, and drivers get three points on their licenses.

The goal of the operation is to cut the number of pedestrian deaths in half over the next five years.

WFTV