It’s a busy and dangerous time on the roadways.
“We need to take care of each other, and we need to slow down and look out, because at the end of the day people are not coming home and that is avoidable, it’s preventable,” Watch for Me Connecticut manager Amy Watkins said.
Over the last week, there has been three pedestrian accidents in West Hartford. Two of the crashes happened on back-to-back days.
“It’s awful and sadly I’m not surprised. This intersection for whatever reason is very dangerous. My wife and I are always sacred when we are crossing with our son,” West Hartford resident Tucker Whitcomb said.
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On Tuesday evening at the intersection of Boulevard and Whiting Lane, an 89-year-old woman was killed.
“For whatever reason it seems cars just don’t seem to respect this crosswalk, they don’t stop, they will drive right by,” Whitcomb said.
Watch for Me CT is a state Department of Transportation education program focused on pedestrian and cyclist safety.
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Watkins says according to the organization’s data in 2021, there were 55 fatal pedestrian accidents. That number increased to 71 in 2022.
“It is a new record, we have not seen a number this high in decades,” Watkins said.
Experts say there is no simple solution to the problem but there are things that can be done, and it all starts with drivers slowing down.
“I live and work in West Hartford, my commute is four minutes, and during those four minutes to and from work, people are running red lights, stop signs,” West Hartford resident Jennifer Hayman-Gross said.
As for walkers, runners and cyclists, Watkins said it’s important not to leave your safety in the hands of others.
“You may have the right of way, you may be right, but if there is someone that is not stopping, you could be right and you could be dead,” Watkins said.
Some tips include looking both ways before crossing, wearing bright colors and using the pedestrian push button.
“Again, you just have to be careful, you got to be paying attention, it’s too much of a risk these days,” Watkins said.
In addition, the design of roadways can also be studied. If a street is owned by a town or city, is it up to local leaders to examine safety concerns. If the street is owned by the state, it is up to the state DOT to step in.
“It’s a constant conversation that we have with the local traffic authorities, we have a process through our office of state traffic administration, where local traffic authorities can reach out to the DOT, to say hey our residents have raised some concerns to us about XYZ, and that can start a study or investigation from the state side," CT DOT spokesperson Josh Morgan said.
Live road conditions can be monitored here.
