Hong Kong police are today launching a five-day, territory-wide crackdown on wayward pedestrians.
Jaywalkers — and we know there’s a lot of you reading this — consider yourself warned.
According to a statement, police are ramping up enforcement of pedestrian offenses, like crossing during a red light, which see you slapped with a HK$2,000 fine.
People considered “blatant” jaywalkers or those who commit other “serious offenses” could even see themselves issued court summonses.
We’ll leave it to you to decide if jaywalking qualifies as a “serious offense” or not.
Other violations in the crosshairs: crossing the road within 15 meters of a pedestrian crossing (and not using it, obviously), as well as climbing over curbside fences or traversing through median strips.
Police — who have handed out fliers to forewarn pedestrians of the crackdown — say the operation is aimed at reducing traffic accidents, particularly those involving senior citizens and youngsters.
According to official stats, there were 2,650 pedestrian causalities between January and October this year, including 55 fatalities. Among those killed, 29 were aged 65 or above.
If compared to the same period in 2016, fatalities this year were lower by nine people. For more road safety information visit the police website here.
