Tamaqua Police Chief Dave Mattson has addressed a concern over an increase of pedestrian-related accidents in the borough.

Mattson said there are many factors that have contributed to the cause of these accidents. One of them that repeatedly comes up during the course of investigating them, Mattson said, is the responsibilities pedestrians have according to the state vehicle code. Mattson said many citizens are not aware of what their responsibilities are as pedestrians."In the interest of public safety I would like to provide the Pennsylvania motor vehicle laws regarding pedestrians with the hopes of helping to prevent accidents," Mattson said.He continued, "I ask that parents take the time to help their children understand the importance of utilizing and following the pedestrian crossing lights to safely cross our streets and specifically to not take for granted that a motor vehicle is going to stop for them because they are in a crosswalk."He added, "I would like to extend an invitation to all that myself and other members of this department are always available to speak to any group, organization or individual on this topic or any public safety topic that you feel we need to address. We are always interested in receiving input from all on issues and topics that affect our community."