Officer Placencia urges pedestrians to use marked crosswalks and signals in Selma safety campaign

Officer Placencia of the Selma Police Department urged pedestrians to use marked crosswalks and pedestrian signals and to follow a simple look-and-wait routine during a brief Selma Safety Streets education campaign announcement.

"Crosswalks are where drivers expect people to be and where you have the most visibility," Placencia said, advising pedestrians to "stop at the edge" and "look left, look right, and look left again" before crossing. He also told listeners, "If there's a pedestrian walk, use it. You wanna stop over here by the pole, press this little button, wait for the signal, look left, look right, look left again, and start walking."

The officer framed the guidance as crash-prevention: "By doing that, you will be preventing a serious crash in the future," he said. Placencia also recommended staying within the marked crosswalk and, in low light, wearing brighter clothing or carrying a flashlight so drivers can see pedestrians.

The short briefing combined behavioral tips (where to cross, how to scan for traffic and when to use signals) with visibility advice. Placencia noted that traffic flows in both directions and that following the listed steps — using corners or marked crosswalks, stopping at the edge, scanning left-right-left and obeying pedestrian signals — increases pedestrians' visibility to drivers.

Placencia closed by thanking participants for taking part in the Selma Safety Streets education campaign and for "doing your part to keep Selma safe." The remarks were a community-outreach message from the Selma Police Department rather than a policy announcement or change in enforcement.