Driving safely

• Red-light running

Red-light running is dangerous and a common cause of vehicular collisions. The City has recently implemented a Red-light Running Photo Enforcement program called PhotoSAFE. Several intersection and school zones around Auburn have cameras that captured the image of vihicles running red lights.

Tickets are then issued and mailed directly to the rigistrant of the vihicle. in order to be in violation, the vihicle must have entered the intersection after the light turned red.

• Sharing the road with pedestrians and bicyclists

Pedestrians share the transportaion network with cars, buses, trucks, and bicycles. Pedestrians generally travel along a dedicated right-of-way. such as a sidewalk. However, when pedestrians cross the street, they come into contact with motorized vehicles. Drivers need to remain attuned to the presence of pedestrians. This is particularly important at intersections or in other situations when numerous factors make safe driving challenging.

Drivers are responsible for yielding to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Per washington State Law, crosswalks legally exist at any location that streets intersect, regardless of if they are marked or not. hence, drivers must yield to any pedestrian crossing at an intersection, signalized or not.

Speed makes a bg difference when it comes to the severity of any accident. However, vehicle speed is particularly important when there is a pedestrian/vehicular collision. When a vehicle hits a pedestrian at 30 MPH, there is an 85% likelihood that the pedestrian will be fatally injured. When a vihicle is traveling at 20 MPH or slower, there is a 95% likelihood that the pedestrian will survive.

bicyclists are required to follow the same traffic laws as motorized vehicles, including stopping at stop signs and obeying other traffic control devices. However, motorists should be considerate of bicyclists when sharing the road and give bicyclists as much traveling space on the roadway as possible.

• School zone speeds

In auburn, 20 MPH speed limit signs are posted within the designated school zones.

All of these signs alert drivers that the speed limit has been reduced to 20 MPH whenever children are present. Auburn City Code defines "Whenever Children Are Present" to clarify when the reduced speed limit is inforceable. Children are considered precent if they are in a crosswalk (marked or unmarked), about to enter a crosswalk, or visibly present on the sidewalk or on the roadway shoulder in areas where there is no sidewalk.

The speed limit is also reduced to 20 MPH in locations where the City has installed flashing beacons in conjunction with the 20 MPH speed limit signs. When these beacons are flashing, the speed limit has been reduced to 20 MPH whether or not children are present. Signs that are equipped with flashing lights operate for a set period of time before and after school, and during special events at the school.