The City of Springfield is once again stepping up driver crosswalk compliance efforts. Beginning April 17, Springfield drivers who fail to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk may get pulled over.
The City’s SGF Yields pedestrian safety program, in partnership with the Springfield Police Department, will resume weekly crosswalk “Yield Check” enforcement events this spring with the first event planned April 17 at the intersection of Bennett Street and Delaware Avenue, near Delaware Elementary School.
Funded through a $21,120 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation that funds overtime-based enforcement for hazardous moving violations, the Springfield Police Department, in partnership with SGF Yields, will conduct weekly driver Yield Checks at well-marked crosswalk locations. The goal of the exercise is to further increase our local yielding rate at crosswalks through education-focused high-visibility enforcement, making our community more pedestrian friendly.
“Every year, around 60-70 pedestrians get struck by a car in Springfield,” explains Traffic Safety Professional Mandy Buettgen-Quinn. “In about half of these instances a driver struck the pedestrian while they were in a crosswalk or on a sidewalk crossing a driveway. If we want pedestrians to use our crosswalks instead of crossing mid-block, we first need to make sure our crosswalks are safe. We’re thrilled the Springfield Police Department continues to partner with SGF Yields to make pedestrian safety priority.”
The grant will fund three police officers on overtime for one half-day of Yield Check work per week. The public will be notified of upcoming Crosswalk Yield Check locations in advance via news release and social media. Results of the exercise will also be reported to the public.
“Crosswalk Yield Checks are a way to give the community a friendly nudge to obey the rules,” says Buettgen-Quinn. “For the first month, officers will hand out warnings and educational materials to those who don’t comply. After that, citations will be issued.”
According to quarterly crosswalk compliance assessments, Springfield drivers currently yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk approximately 51% of the time. National studies show that regular educational enforcement activities can result in 70% or more of drivers yielding at crosswalks.
For more information about Crosswalk Yield Checks and the SGF Yields pedestrian safety program, please visit springfieldmo.gov/sgfyields, follow SGF Yields on Facebook, or email traffic@springfieldmo.gov.