Late month, the Los Angeles Police Department announced its new Pedestrian Safety Initiative, which gives officers new responsibilities to talk to pedestrians about safety issues and offer free reflective vests or wearable LED lights in place of a traffic ticket.
The department is working with State Farm to hand out roughly 1,200 vests and 700 lights to reduce pedestrian deaths on city streets, which are among the deadliest in the nation.
Authorities also gave recent traffic fatality statistics, saying 200 people have been killed in traffic collisions in the city so far this year. Of those fatal collisions, 107 involved pedestrians and half of those deaths were "individuals that are outside crosswalks," according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore.
Speaking at a press conference on Nov. 28, Moore said the vests will "give a fighting chance for (pedestrians) to be seen and observed and to protect themselves," especially when walking at night.
"We have defensive driving, there's defensive walking as well," he said.
But local street safety advocates are blasting the plan as disappointing and absurd, saying police are focusing on changing victim's behavior when it's safer driving and better infrastructure that will save lives.
"Drivers have the power to do the most harm, and drivers have the greatest responsibility to protect the human life around them," said Emilia Crotty, executive director of Los Angeles Walks, told LAist. "The city, including LAPD, needs to remind people of this every opportunity it gets."
