The Importance of Crossing Guards and Crosswalk Etiquette in Southern Utah

Crossing guards, such a simple occupation that many residents tend to ignore while making their commutes to and from their jobs. While you may think you know how to behave at a crosswalk, the St. George Police Department begs to differ. 

In the March 28 edition of Motor Minute on the St. George Police Department’s Facebook page, Public Information Officer Tiffany Mitchell went through some crosswalk safety tips along with another officer from the SGPD whose name was unfortunately cut out due to a sound malfunction. 

Crossing guards are mostly found in elementary school zones, but don’t appear much outside of those areas. In the livestream, the SGPD officers said some residents don’t let pedestrians cross the street in its entirety before continuing to drive. 

Officer Mitchell said, “You’ve got to understand how stressful it can be to be responsible to cross these kids safely, and I think our crossing guards often feel invisible. They feel like people don’t respect what they do and the responsibilities that they hold.” 

This doesn’t just apply to drivers; it also goes for pedestrians as well. Some residents will cross the street without checking if vehicles will stop at the crosswalk. Officer Mitchell also said it may be wise to not cross the street if the crosswalk signal is counting down, especially if it’s about to reach zero. 

Officer Mitchell said, “If it’s white, and you’ve got a hand, you’re good to go. If it’s counting down and it’s red, which red means stop, then that means not to cross the road there. You’re probably going to probably run out of time before you get to the other side.” 

If you think there is a law that needs to be covered in a future edition of Motor Minute, then send a Facebook message to the St. George Police Department and they may just cover it in a future livestream.