Pedestrian collisions are down dramatically in Ocean City this year, Ocean City police announced Thursday, attributing the drop to a new awareness campaign.
Compared to this time last year, pedestrian collisions in the tourist town are down 56 percent, Ocean City police said, while bicycle collisions are down 50 percent and scooter collisions are down 68 percent. Police said new "Walk Smart" and "Ride Smart" campaigns to encourage pedestrian and bicyclist awareness were behind much of the decline in accidents. New registration and insurance requirements also went into effect earlier this year for scooters, police said.
There have been no deaths as a result of any kind of motor vehicle collision in 2013, police said.
Tourism is also down in Ocean City this year after a rainy vacation season. Since late May, nine out of 12 weeks this summer have seen a drop in tourists that coincided with a significant number of rainy days.
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