Panama City Police Department continues pedestrian, bicycle safety program

The Panama City Police Department is continuing a Florida Department of Transportation program to bring awareness to pedestrian and bicycle safety in the city.

The program, run through a contract with University of North Florida’s Institute of Police Technology and Management, started in September of 2021 and will continue through May.

PCPD is providing additional officers on patrol at specific corridors with a high occurrence of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes.

Officers are working to bring awareness of the dangerous behaviors that contribute to serious and fatal injuries at these locations.

Officers are looking for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists who violate traffic laws that place their safety at risk in an effort to reduce serious and fatal crashes. They are educating the public and are issuing warnings and citations only when appropriate.

So far, the department had dedicated 33 hours strictly to this program with 81 contacts – 37 pedestrians, 28 bicyclists and 16 motorists.

The most frequent pedestrian safety issues are not crossing in a crosswalk, not using sidewalks when available and not walking against traffic.

For bicyclists, the most frequent safety issues are no lights while riding at night, riding against traffic and violating traffic laws. Bicycles should be operated like a vehicle when on the roadway.

The most frequent vehicle safety issues are speeding, failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and not providing a three-foot buffer when passing a bicyclist.