ST. GEORGE, Utah, May 12, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — St. George police are pleading with motorists to slow down and avoid distracted driving after three juveniles were hit by cars in two separate incidents Thursday.
Officer Tiffany Mitchell went live on Facebook about 5 p.m. shortly after two juveniles were hit by a car while crossing Bluff Street in a crosswalk between the intersections of Tabernacle Street and St. George Boulevard.
Mitchell said the juveniles were on a scooter in the crosswalk about 4:40 p.m. when they were hit. Paramedics attended to the juveniles at the scene, she said. The juveniles’ ages and the extent of their injuries were not immediately available.
The driver was cited for failure to yield, Mitchell told Gephardt Daily.
Earlier Thursday, two juveniles were riding bicycles about 8 a.m. when police say they hurried to cross Bluff Street near 100 South. Mitchell said the bicyclists were trying to get across the street before the crosswalk signal expired and didn’t check for traffic before attempting to cross.
A motorist who had stopped at the red light before proceeding to turn right didn’t see the bicyclists and ended up hitting one of them with their car, police said. The juvenile was not injured and the driver was not cited, Mitchell said.
“Guys, honestly, we have got to do better,” Mitchell said. “We have got to slow the blank down and double-check and triple-check before we pull out of parking lots and our driveways and make turns. We have just got to do better.”
Mitchell urged drivers keep their focus on the road and plan ahead to avoid being in a hurry.
“Don’t drive frustrated or in a hurry. Just remember that it’s going to be busy,” she said. “Just plan ahead, leave a few minutes earlier. Put those phones down and all those things in your vehicle that are going to distract you and keep you from driving safely.”
Mitchell also encouraged parents to talk to their kids about making sure it’s safe to cross the street before crossing — even when using a crosswalk.
“Talk to your kids also,” she said. “Remind them that drivers are distracted. They’re busy, they’re in a hurry, they are not watching.”
