EDITORIAL: Chicago drivers, slow down. This isn't Frogger.

Nov. 26--You know those fluorescent signs positioned in the roadway that warn of pedestrian crossings? The ones that read in bold lettering, "STOP"?

Take a moment, Chicago drivers, to let this sink in: You're plowing into them. Routinely. That doesn't bode well for pedestrians or mommies with baby strollers crossing the street, now does it?

Transportation reporter Jon Hilkevitch wrote in Monday's Tribune that 268 of the 344 signs installed citywide since mid-2012 have been replaced due to drivers striking them. Many other signs have been damaged but not yet replaced.

Why is this important? Because more than 3,000 accidents and an average of 30 deaths per year in Chicago are vehicle vs. pedestrian. This year's death toll is 29. That's 29 too many.

Pedestrian deaths in Chicago accounted for one-third of all traffic deaths statewide, according to the most recent Illinois Department of Transportation statistics. Chicago should not be proud of that metric.

The signs also cost money -- more than $500 a pop, and many signs have been replaced two or three times.

The Chicago Department of Transportation says the signs are a sound investment and have worked to raise awareness of a 2010 state law that requires drivers to stop, not just yield, for pedestrians.

But during a series of sting operations this year, Chicago police ticketed 1,933 Mario Andrettis who violated the must-stop law at problematic intersections. More tickets were issued during sting operations at select intersections this year than were issued through the entire city last year.

So as winter fast approaches and visibility along snow-packed curbs soon diminishes, Hilkevitch's story stands as a reminder for everyone to be an alert driver. Stay off your cellphone. Obey signs in the roadway warning you to stop.

That includes bicyclists who often zigzag through traffic and ignore basic rules of the road. They should be stopping for pedestrians too. How about a sting operation for cyclists?

Even in a bustling city like Chicago, crossing the street shouldn't resemble the arcade game Frogger. It shouldn't require luck and prayer. Take it easy. Slow down.