While Central Florida has racked up a number of accolades over the years, one ranking isn't such an honor: The metro Orlando area tops the country as the most dangerous place for pedestrians to cross the street.

According to a 2014 report by the National Complete Streets Coalition called "Dangerous by Design," the danger lies in the layout of roadways. Streets are designed for speed and not safety; they're about moving cars, not people, from place to place.

Now, one local group is hoping to change all that, with help from law enforcement.

Best Foot Forward has been studying dozens of crosswalks throughout Central Florida, monitoring driver behavior.

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Intersections Being Monitored

Interactive Map: View all intersections being studied in Orlando and Orange County.

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With help from the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Best Foot Forward conducts high-visibility enforcements, dubbed "crosswalk crackdowns," three to four times a year. They remind drivers to yield to walkers in marked zones, as Florida law requires.

"The ultimate goal here is to change behavior," said Best Foot Forward's Katy Magruder. "We're trying to increase the amount of drivers who will stop for a pedestrian in the crosswalk."

Dressed in regular clothes, acting as decoys, officers cross the street at designated crosswalks again and again.

"We just want people to slow down and be aware that pedestrians are crossing here," said Orlando police Sgt. Richard Ruth. "I'm walking across, and if vehicles don't yield to me in the crosswalk, we'll stop them down the road and educate them through enforcement."

If motorists don't stop for undercover officers, they are ticketed by other officers waiting down the block. At the corner of Conway Road and Hargill Drive on Thursday, Orlando police officers issued hefty, $164 citations to a dozen drivers; 11 others drove off with warnings to watch for walkers.

"We're all walkers," Ruth said. "Even when we drive, we become a pedestrian after we get to where we're going."

Best Foot Forward's long-term goal is to cut pedestrian injuries in half in 10 years. On average, two pedestrians are injured each day crossing Central Florida roadways, and one is killed each week.

Intersections being monitored

ORLANDO

  • E. Central Blvd. & Lake Avenue
  • E. Rollins & Camden Road
  • Lake Baldwin & Almond Avenue
  • S. Conway Rd. & Hargill Drive
  • S. Semoran Blvd. & Curry Ford Road
  • 7100 Municipal Drive
  • N. John Young Parkway & Silver Star Road
  • S. Division Avenue & Michigan Street
  • Mercy Drive & Kalwit Lane
  • Lake Underhill Road & Palmer Street
  • Leevista Blvd. South of Lake Avon Drive
  • Virginia Drive & Orlando Urban Trail (Dinky Line)
  • Conroy Road & Vineland Road
  • L.B. McLeod Road & S. John Young Parkway
  • W. Colonial Drive & N. Orange Blossom Trail
  • I4 Westbound ON Ramp & W. Colonial Drive
  • I4 Westbound OFF Ramp & W. Colonial Drive
  • MetroWest Blvd. & S. Kirkman Road
  • E. Michigan Street & N. Orange Avenue
  • S. Semoran Blvd. & SR 408

ORANGE COUNTY

  • W. Oak Ridge Road & Magic Way
  • Goldenrod & Cady Way Trail Crossing
  • Landstar Blvd. & Misley Drive
  • Landstar Blvd. & Brook Hollow-Island Cove Drive
  • Forsyth & Wheeled Coach (2737 Forsyth Rd.)
  • Waterford Chase Parkway & Oak Chase Drive
  • Vineland Road & Regency Village Drive
  • Mark Twai & Recreation Center (401 Mark Twain Blvd.)
  • W. Oak Ridge Road & S. Texas Avenue (E. Corner
  • Woodbury Road & Mallory Circle
  • International Drive & Samoan Ct.
  • International Drive & Austrian Ct.
  • North Pine Hills Road N. of North Lane

Source: Best Foot Forward