CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – With spring officially around the corner, Chapel Hill police want people to be safe on the road.

The town kicked off an effort centered on that issue Friday with an event called “phone free Friday.”

Officials are asking people to put their phone away while you're traveling to encourage people to keep their eyes on the road or their heads up while crossing the street in the wake of several accidents involving pedestrians.

“We’re taking this opportunity to further educate our residents and visitors on best practices for safely traveling through our community,” said Police Chief Chris Blue. “We’ll be doing so in addition to our normal enforcement practices throughout town.”

“We have received an outpouring of concern for safety for the pedestrians in our community and — with that concern — many requests for improvements,” said Town Manager Roger Stancil.

Officials hope people will continue to put down their phones every day of the week.