Two police departments joined forces last week to crack down on one of the most common — and most dangerous — traffic violations in residential Orange County: drivers who blow through crosswalks without yielding to pedestrians.

The Fountain Valley Police Department Traffic Bureau partnered with motor officers from the Cypress Police Department for a three-hour pedestrian safety operation funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety. Officers focused on two busy corridors in Fountain Valley where complaints and near-misses have been documented: Ellis Avenue between Magnolia and Newland streets, and Talbert Avenue between Magnolia and Newland streets.

By the end of the operation, officers had issued 38 total citations. Thirty-six were for crosswalk-related violations.

The enforcement action came against a backdrop of ongoing pedestrian danger in the region. In January, a Fountain Valley man walking in a marked crosswalk at Warner Avenue and Newhope Street was struck by a driver later arrested on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. That victim later died from his injuries.

The OTS grant funding the operation is part of a broader $140 million statewide investment California announced in late 2025, directing money to nearly 500 local traffic safety projects running through September 2026. Pedestrian and bicycle safety enforcement is among the top funding priorities.

Under California law, drivers are required to yield to pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks — a rule that officers say is widely misunderstood or simply ignored. Failure to yield carries a base fine of $238, though total costs with fees typically run considerably higher.

The Fountain Valley Police Department reminded residents that pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility. Drivers are expected to slow down and stay alert near intersections, while pedestrians are encouraged to make eye contact with drivers before stepping off the curb and to use designated crossing points where available.

No date for a follow-up enforcement operation has been announced.