Eighteen pedestrians have been hit and killed in St. Louis so far in 2015, representing more than then the number of pedestrian fatalities that occurred in St. Louis in 2013 and 2014 combined.
As safety officials scramble to try to reverse this trend and protect all travelers on St. Louis roads, some are now calling for red light cameras to once again be used at some major intersections in the city.
A Closer Look at the Pedestrian Fatalities in St. Louis
a call from some to once again use red light cameras
in the city, a St Louis car accident lawyer explains.
Since 2011, St. Louis has been designated as a “focus city” by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) due to the high number of pedestrian deaths that take place in the city annually. In fact, according to transportation safety regulators, over the past few years, St. Louis has consistently had a high pedestrian fatality rate of between 2.33 and 3.76 deaths per every 100,000 residents.
What may be just as distressing as the high rates of pedestrian deaths in St. Louis over the past few years are the facts that:
- Many of these fatalities also involve hit-and-run accidents.
- A significant number of these accidents (if not all of them) may have been preventable if drivers (and possibly pedestrians, as well) had been more careful, attentive and responsible on the roads.
Commenting on this trend, Ralph Pfremmer, executive director of Trailnet (a transportation safety advocacy organization), has stated, “It’s really not something that our city, or anybody living in it, should find acceptable. And we can change it.”
Mayor Francis Slay has even noted that St. Louis has “too many unsafe intersections.”
Could Red Light Cameras Reverse the Trend in Pedestrian Deaths in St. Louis?
One of the possible solutions being proposed now to try to reverse the increasing trend in pedestrian deaths in St. Louis is to, once again, rely on red light cameras. Back in August, law enforcement officials in the city stopped using red light cameras – and all pending cases were dismissed and related fines were returned to motorists – because the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the ordinance for these cameras.
Given the limited law enforcement resources in the city – and the clear dangers pedestrians in St. Louis face, however, some now think that red light cameras may offer a solution to protecting pedestrians and encouraging drivers to follow traffic laws.
What do you think about this? Do you think red light cameras should once again be used in St. Louis in an effort to protect pedestrians? Post your comments on our Facebook & Google+ pages.
Contact a St Louis Car Accident Lawyer at Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law
If you have been hit by a negligent driver, contact a St Louis car accident lawyer at Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law. We have a long-standing commitment to serving our clients, and we are experienced at aggressively defending our clients’ rights in any legal setting.
To learn more about how we can help you, attend a free, no obligations initial consult with one of our attorneys today. You can schedule this meeting by calling us at 573-333-3333 for our Missouri office or at 618-888-8888 for our Illinois office. You can also email us using the form at the right-hand side of the screen.
