National Federation of the Blind of Florida
RESOLUTION 2009 - 01
Concerning Pedestrian Safety
WHEREAS, it is the right of all citizens to have the
freedom to travel the streets and avenues of the State, but only a privilege for
motorists to travel in powered vehicles; and
WHEREAS, the State of
Florida still lacks a law or statute to protect the right of the pedestrian;
and
WHEREAS, we, the blind of the Great State of Florida, are unable to drive automobiles and, therefore, tend to be pedestrians, much of the time; and
WHEREAS, we, the blind, walk through the sidewalks of the streets and avenues of our towns and cities, crossing at intersections, proudly using our white canes, guide dogs and sighted guides; and
WHEREAS, those streets and avenues are dangerous due to motorists who, without thought, put the lives of pedestrians at risk; and
WHEREAS, Florida law allows behaviors, such as motorists’ being allowed to turn right on red, which seem convenient to drivers but endanger the lives of pedestrians, including the blind; and
WHEREAS, each year there are several injuries and deaths of sighted and blind pedestrians, that would have been avoided by the conscious consideration of pedestrian needs and rights in the conception, writing, and enforcement of pedestrian-friendly traffic laws in the state of Florida; and
BE IT RESOLVED by the
National Federation of the Blind of Florida in Convention assembled this
twenty-fifth day of May, 2009, in the City of Boca Raton, Florida, that the
National Federation of the Blind of Florida encourages and urges the Florida
Legislature to be much more cognizant of the needs and rights of all
pedestrians, especially those of the blind, as traffic laws are created and
revised, so that pedestrian needs are made foremost in the creation and
modification of our State’s traffic laws and regulations;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
we encourage the legislature, in so doing, to give priority to consideration to
such possible measures as:
(1)
Eliminate the ability for a “right turn on red” from Florida’s traffic
regulations.
(2)
Forbid motor vehicles to cross or roll into crosswalks where pedestrians are
crossing.
(3)
Require a clear and unmistakable declaration of the absolute “right of way” of
all pedestrians, in driver’s license training materials and in the Driver’s
Handbook.
(4)
Launch a campaign to remind law enforcement departments and officers of their
responsibility to uphold the rights of pedestrians in situations where the
rights of said pedestrians may have been violated.