Police in Fort Lee, N.J. are cracking down on jaywalkers after a spike in the number of pedestrians hit by cars this year.
Officials say 20 pedestrians have been struck so far this year, compared to 74 in all of last year.
"It's not always the driver's fault," said Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli. "Pedestrians are not watching where they're walking, they're not aware, they don't know about their surroundings."
Police reports show that some of the pedestrian accidents occurred when people were properly in the crosswalk, and others when cars were backing out of driveways.
Still, police are stepping up ticketing for jaywalking, writing 154 summonses since mid-March. The ticket carries a $54 fine.
One man who jaywalked Thursday joked to NBC 4 New York that if he were to get hit and killed, "I'm never going to pay the ticket."
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