CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With more businesses open and more drivers and pedestrians out and about, there’s been an increase in pedestrian traffic fatalities.
Since January, five people have been hit and killed by vehicles in Clarksville, with the most recent fatality on Fort Campbell Boulevard Monday.
“These preventable crashes are the worst kind that we work,” says Lt. Vincent Lewis with the police Traffic Unit, in a news release.
According to the release, some common factors in the fatalities have been:
- Wearing dark clothing
- Crossing multiple lanes of traffic
- Looking down at cell phone screen while walking
- Crossing in areas that were less than 100 yards from a designated crosswalk
Here are some tips from CPD when you are walking:
- Keep alert at all times: Don’t be distracted by electronic devices.
- Wear bright or reflective clothing, especially when walking at night.
- Watch for vehicles turning left or right before crossing.
- Use designated crosswalks when possible.
- Never assume a driver sees you.
- If crosswalks are not available, locate a well-lit area where you have the best view of traffic. Wait for a gap in traffic that allows you enough time to cross safely, and continue to watch traffic as you cross.
Lewis also said it’s important for drivers to slow down and pay attention to their surroundings, including the possibility of pedestrians.
“There’s nowhere you have to be that is worth driving too fast and dying or killing someone in a crash before you get there.”