MARYLAND
Montgomery County fatal pedestrian accidents continue
Montgomery County Police officials are battling a deadly problem that has been responsible for nearly 100 deaths over the past few years, and despite issuing thousands of tickets for jaywalking, people are continuing to risk injury and even death.
All of it, apparently, is for the sake of saving a few minutes - and it's resulting in the county tallying nearly as many pedestrian deaths as murders, with half of them coming at the fault of the pedestrian, officials say.
To combat the problem, Montgomery County Poilce have been out in force, trying to get pedestrians to play by the rules, but they're facing a stiff challenge. That includes an incident that ABC 7 observed in which a teenager, who was ticketed twice in two days, tore up a ticket in front of an officer's face.
Even where the county has installed warning signs and fences to keep walkers from crossing, the problem persists. According to authorities, Montgomery County Police officers have written 284 citations.
Montgomery County Police Capt. Thomas Didone says that in 2011, the county had 16 murders and 11 fatal pedestrian accidents. So far in 2012, six people have been murdered in Montgomery County and three have been killed in pedestrian crashes.
Regardless of repeated warnings, many people continue to risk their lives and the lives of their children by crossing busy roads in the middle of traffic.
"I was trying to rush because there weren't any cars," one woman told ABC 7 while rushing across the street with her baby in tow.
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