CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As more people move to Montgomery County, the City of Clarksville has been no stranger to crashes, and one of the top concerns for Clarksville police is pedestrians.
“When we get the call that a pedestrian’s been struck, we’re always thinking the worst because they don’t have any protection of a vehicle around them, they don’t have a seatbelt,” Clarksville Police Department Public Information Officer Scott Beaubien said.
According to police, the number of crashes continues to go up. Over the last year, 61 people have been hit, including two who died. That’s 20 more pedestrian crashes than the city saw two years prior.
The majority of these crashes, according to police, are happening after dark.
“People are wearing dark clothing, and it’s hard to see. And we’re seeing people where they’re just stepping out in front of vehicles trying to beat the traffic to get across,” Beaubien said.
Clarksville police tell News 2 there are four roads where they’ve seen the most pedestrians hit, which includes U.S. Route 41A — which consists of Providence and Fort Campbell Boulevards — Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, Tiny Town Road and Madison Street.
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“The fatalities that we’ve had or the injury crashes that we’ve had with pedestrians, none of them have been at a crosswalk. It’s been somebody stepped out in front of a vehicle, they didn’t have time to react, and they were struck,” Beaubien said.
Drivers are urged to slow down and put down their phones to help bring down these numbers. Pedestrians are encouraged to wear more reflective clothing to help drivers see them. Police have also distributed reflective gear and hope to continue doing so in the future.
“We’ve tried to increase patrols,” Beaubien explained. “Just getting the word out just to be safe, crossing in crosswalks, and wearing brighter clothing, reflective clothing, something that can be seen.
Together, police hope to reduce the number of pedestrian crashes, and most importantly, save lives.