Pedestrians are being caught in a real-life game of Frogger on the streets in Madison, as police are seeing an uptick in vehicle crosswalk violations this fall.

Compared to this time last year, the number of tickets written for vehicle crosswalk violations is up 25 percent, Madison Crossing Guard Supervisor Patti Knoche said. Violations include drivers who do not stop or remain stopped when a crossing guard is present at a crosswalk.

Knoche said a school speed zone limit is 20 miles per hour and that drivers must come to a complete stop no closer than 10 feet from a crossing guard to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

However, Knoche said drivers are not complying with the most basic crosswalk rules, as drivers are blatantly failing to stop at crosswalks and nearly hitting crossing guards. If a crossing guard goes down, there is no one to protect people crossing the road, she said.

Crossing guards are put on specific corners with high volumes of traffic and pedestrians, increasing the risk of an accident, Knoche said. She added drivers should think of crossing guards as a “physical barricade” and should wait to pass through until crossing guards and pedestrians get off the street.

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, highlighted the intersection at Lake Street and State Street as a particularly troublesome spot on campus and said the city has “continually” had issues with drivers at that intersection.

Knoche said crossing guards are instructed to report violations. The drivers are issued a fine of $88.80 with fines doubling in school zones, Knoche said.

Knoche attributes the lack of abiding to crosswalk laws to a lack of education among student drivers.

“I don’t think the information given to student drivers is thorough enough for school zone driving,” she said.

Knoche also said distractions are more prevalent for young drivers. They have seen drivers talking on cell phones, texting, eating, reading the newspaper and even flossing their teeth while driving, she said, adding that eliminating these distractions could lead to fewer violations.

City traffic engineer Mark Winter said today’s “terrible” driving behavior is much different than drivers 20 or 30 years ago, and he would like to see more tickets being written. He also said the courtesy level of today’s drivers has significantly decreased.

However, Resnick said drivers are not the only ones to blame, as officials and crossing guards often also have to remind pedestrians and cyclists to abide by crosswalk rules.

“Part of it is drivers, but it is making sure everyone is attentive,” he said. “It comes down to awareness and acknowledging that we do have issues on campus and around the city. Hopefully, we can solve these issues.”

Knoche said crossing guards will continue to report drivers and also continue to educate them in hopes that spreading the word will help reduce violations.