Gift of 10,000 reflectors aids Salt Lake pedestrian-safety efforts

Students from Nibley Park Elementary School helped Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson kick off the next phase of his plan to keep the city's streets safe for pedestrians.

Rocky Mountain Power donated enough money for the city to purchase 10,000 reflectors that can be worn around a child or adult's wrist or attached to their shoes or the zippers on their coats. The reflectors were presented to the principal of Nibley Park Wednesday, where the city announced the new "Be Safe, Be Seen" campaign.

Students held up signs they made to promote the campaign as the mayor addressed the media.

Daylight hours are decreasing until late December, and Anderson said it was as important as ever for both motorists and pedestrians to watch out for each other.

"We think this program will save lives in this community," Anderson said. "Wearing a reflector may save your life."

When the mayor took office six years ago, he said Salt Lake was ranked as the 12th-worst city in the nation for pedestrian safety. Now, he said the city is nationally recognized as one of the safest for pedestrians and has had a 20 percent decrease in auto-pedestrian accidents from 2005 to this year.

"The buck stops with me. We have to do everything we can to make this city as safe as possible," he said.

The new reflectors will be available free at any city library, government building or recreational center.

Two weeks ago, the mayor unveiled the city's new "Street Smarts" program in which law enforcement stepped up patrols of intersections and crosswalks, watching for motorists who cut off pedestrians and bicyclists and for pedestrians who jaywalk.

So far in 2006, there have been eight fatal auto-pedestrian accidents in Salt Lake City.

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