One South Florida city is working to curb deadly crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians.
Police in Pembroke Pines are targeting ten intersections, cracking down on drivers who are ignoring the rules of the road, such as when to give pedestrians the right of way, which can cost lives.
It's a two point operation by officers both in and out of uniform.
"The violation is observed by them on the corner and then these officers in marked units or motorcycles conduct the stop," explained Sgt. Christopher Sengelmann of the Pembroke Pines Police Department.
Pembroke Pines police were out in full force Tuesday night working to prevent traffic related deaths involving pedestrians -- a growing problem in South Florida and as the numbers show, a problem that is on the rise in Pembroke Pines.
Police in Pembroke Pines say there were five traffic crash fatalities in 2012, 11 on record in 2013 and 12 last year. And many involved a driver in a vehicle versus a person either on foot or on a bike.
"A lot of them result from pedestrians and cyclist getting hit or getting struck by vehicles," said Sgt. Sengelmann. "This enforcement effort is a means to try to reduce the number of fatalities we are seeing."
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In many of these cases, police say some sort of traffic violation is often committed first by the driver who then hits a person on a bike or on foot.
That's why they're focusing on traffic violations such as the unlawful u-turn one driver was pulled over for at Dykes Road and Pines Blvd.
"I didn't see them like hiding," said the driver, who was not happy with the officers' motives. "I mean there's two people riding bikes a day, so I think they are doing it to pocket money honestly," said Nico Souberville.
Police say state grants, including money from FDOT, is funding this operation dubbed "High Visibility Enforcement for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety." It started in February and will continue through the end of May.
The campaign started with three weeks of public education. Police were handing out flyers warning drivers about the crackdown. Police say so far, through Tuesday night, they've issued about 1,000 warnings and just as many citations.
