For more than a decade, Jo-Ellen Throckmorton has battled "creepers" and "twofers" in the streets of Orem.

Those are industry terms, the crosswalk guard explains: The former refers to drivers who never quite stop at intersections, while the latter nomination is bestowed upon dubious motorists who quickly jet through intersections behind another car without waiting their turn.

She was joking, but the issue is no laughing matter, she reassured. She used to guard a crosswalk located a block away, but was moved when two children were hit by inattentive motorists. She's seen drivers near the school doing just about everything but driving: talking on cell phones, doing their makeup, even eating breakfast on the go.

"If you're holding a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, chances are you're not holding the wheel," she said.

Sadly, it's not uncommon to have to step or jump in front of cars to protect the children, she said. Just Thursday morning, an impatient driver tried to make a left-hand turn through the intersection while kids were still crossing. Throckmorton said she blew her whistle, but he drove off without acknowledging the problem.

"He cut between kids that were coming across, and he could've cared less," she said. "If you're going to hit somebody, hit me -- the city attorney's pretty good, he'll come after you. But don't hit the kids."

Orem police Sgt. Matt Pedersen supervises the crosswalk guard program. He said guards have the power to record an offending driver's license plate number and description and refer it to police to pursue a citation, but admits they seldom have time to do it in reality.

"We have inattentive drivers all over the place, obviously," he said. "Speed's the biggest problem: not bringing it down to 20 from 25 or 35, depending on what road it is."

Bonnie Marquez, a crossing guard in front of Geneva Elementary, said she's seen drivers blast by at 45 or 50 mph when the school zone lights are flashing and the 20 mph rule is in effect.

"It's scary," she said. "There have been some close calls this year. I've had the stop sign up and two kids right in front of me, and the car just runs the stop sign."

September is Green Ribbon Month across the state, which means various municipalities, including Orem and Provo, are taking steps to educate the public about crosswalk safety. Throckmorton said she plans to talk to students at Orem Elementary on Monday about precautions they can take to minimize risks at the crosswalk. Marquez has adopted a different tack: Every afternoon for the past week, she's placed a sign in the middle of the street with posters designed by her kids. "SLOW DOWN: CHILDREN KROSSING, 20 MPH," they read -- and so far, they've worked, she said.

"A lot of people are slowing down just to read them or to see what they are," Marquez said.

Pedersen said there have been no incidents of children getting hit at crosswalks this year, although two people were struck crossing 800 South near Utah Valley University. He said the pedestrians were partially at fault there for failing to look both ways before stepping into traffic.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it