ST. LOUIS 鈥 狐狸视频 police launched a citywide plan this month to crack down on speeding, running red lights and other moving violations in an effort to reverse a dramatic two-year spike in traffic fatalities.
In 2020, the city reported 81 traffic deaths, up 52% compared with the annual average of 53 from the previous five years. So far in 2021, traffic-related deaths remain high.
Roughly 26% of the city鈥檚 250 traffic fatalities since 2018 have involved pedestrians, police said, and they鈥檝e noticed an increase.
Since the beginning of October, three people have been killed after being hit by cars. On Monday, a man was struck and killed while walking across East Hampton Avenue near Gravois Avenue. On Oct. 13, a woman died after a hit-and-run on North Grand Boulevard, and a former 狐狸视频 University High teacher was killed Oct. 7 during a hit-and-run while crossing Gravois Avenue.
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狐狸视频 police Lt. Paul Lauer, who runs the city鈥檚 traffic division, said speeding has been the biggest factor. Since 2018, speed has contributed to 40% of the city鈥檚 fatal crashes, police said.
Last year, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and national roadway safety experts reported increases in fatal crashes and reckless speeding, despite seeing fewer people on the road during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lauer said that trend has continued in 狐狸视频 despite traffic levels returning to normal.
Police in each of the city鈥檚 six patrol districts are hoping to combat that problem by focusing enforcement at 18 areas known to have a higher-than-average number of crashes.
Police spokeswoman Michelle Woodling said some districts have been using overtime to do the targeted patrols, and Lauer noted the traffic division has been doing joint efforts with 狐狸视频 County police and the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Woodling emphasized that officers would not be cracking down on non-moving violations, such as expired license plate tags, not having auto insurance or having a burned-out lightbulb.
But she said she hoped the increased focus on moving violations would encourage people to think twice before speeding or running a red light.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want the public鈥檚 perception to be that we don鈥檛 care about traffic,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to make sure we dedicate specific time to these traffic violations.鈥
The patrol districts are focusing on the following intersections:
鈥 Gravois Avenue/Bates Street.
鈥 Gravois Avenue/Loughborough Avenue.
鈥 South Kingshighway/Chippewa Street.
鈥 Chippewa Street/Hampton Avenue.
鈥 Arsenal Street/South Kingshighway.
鈥 Hampton Avenue/Oakland Avenue.
鈥 South Grand Boulevard/Gravois Avenue.
鈥 South Grand Boulevard/Chouteau Avenue.
鈥 Jefferson Avenue/Lafayette Avenue.
鈥 North Grand Boulevard/Natural Bridge Avenue.
鈥 North Grand Boulevard/Page Boulevard.
鈥 North Fourth Street/Washington Avenue.
鈥 Kingshighway from Barnes Hospital to Delmar.
鈥 Kingshighway from Martin Luther King Drive to 狐狸视频 Avenue.
鈥 Page Boulevard from Goodfellow to Kingshighway.
鈥 West Florissant Avenue between Union Avenue and Riverview Drive.
鈥 Goodfellow Boulevard between Interstate 70 and West Florissant Avenue.
鈥 North Broadway and Switzer Avenue.
狐狸视频鈥 special traffic enforcement unit has been doing extra patrols at the I-70 Goodfellow and Union exits and the Highway 40 (Interstate 64) Kingshighway exit, as well.