New Town Campaign Encourages Drivers to Be Aware of Pedestrians and Cyclists

Red-Light Running Kills 2 Daily in the U.S., Yet About a Third of Us Do It, AAA Says

State Police Increase Highway Patrols for Memorial Day Weekend: Here’s Where They’ll Be

Darien Woman Starts Local Effort to Get Drivers Off Phones

Public Safety

By DARIENITE.COM | December 5, 2021

Public Safety

By DARIENITE.COM | August 29, 2019

Holidays

By David Gurliacci | May 24, 2018

Around Town

By David Gurliacci | September 10, 2015

Darien Police Department and other town officials have collaborated on an awareness campaign, “Th!nk Smart Before You Start” to encourage drivers to be more aware of pedestrians and cyclists as they share local roads. The goal of the townwide campaign is to reduce or eliminate accidents that involve drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Residents will start seeing Th!nk Smart Before You Start banners displayed at schools and on buildings; stickers will be showing up on the windows of stores, homes, and cars; and flyers promoting the campaign will soon arrive in mailboxes throughout the town. Darien Police Chief Don Anderson, Police Commissioner Brent Hayes, Selectman Sarah Neumann and Darien Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley kicked off the campaign at Middlesex Middle School early Wednesday morning. Anderson presented a banner to Middlesex Principal Karolyn Rodriguez while Darien police officers Mark Capelli and Lou Moura distributed stickers to parents in the parking area as they dropped off their children alongside Darien Parent Teacher Organization co-chairs Carol Kennedy and Amy O’Kane.

Nationally, red-light runners kill at least two people daily, new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports. — an announcement from AAA Northeast
The AAA Foundation’s latest Traffic Safety Culture Index reports 85% of drivers view red-light running as very dangerous, yet nearly 1 in 3 say they personally blew through a red light within the past month when they could have stopped safely. “We seem to be a ‘do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do’ society when it comes to red-light running and other traffic safety issues,” said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman. “Realistically, police can’t be at every intersection.”

How Many, What Cost
In 2017 alone, 939 people were killed in red-light running crashes, a 10–year high. Since 2008, the nation saw more than 7,800 red-light running fatalities, according to the research.

Tweet crash Connecticut State Police https://twitter.com/CT_STATE_POLICE/status/981618877607108608

Connecticut State Troopers are preparing for increased traffic during this Memorial Day weekend, and summer 2018 celebrations and vacations. They’ve got extra patrols on the lookout for drivers under the influence and violations of seat belt laws, in particular. State Troopers ask all drivers to utilize courteous driving skills, plan for traffic delays and make safety their top priority whenever they get behind the wheel. These actions will ensure safe travel to and from destinations. — an announcement from Connecticut State Police

Some safety tips — and laws — to remember: buckle up, obey speed limits, don’t follow too close, remove distractions while driving, stay off the cellphone, and never drink and drive.

« August 2022 »

Don’t pick up that cell phone while you’re driving — not to answer the phone or call on it and especially not to text. Editor’s note: An update (at the bottom of the article) has been added at 5:35 p.m. on Sept. 17. We all know we shouldn’t do any of that, and most of us are aware that it can be very dangerous, but Whitney Ball, a Darien mother of two, has an idea that she hopes will actually stop many of us from doing it — and make Darien a safer place to drive. This summer, she came up with the idea of making “Drop It and Drive in Darien” car magnets available around town that can be put on the backs of cars.