FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Through a partnership with the City’s SGF Yields pedestrian safety campaign, the Springfield Police Department conducted Crosswalk Yield Check events beginning Friday, March 24 through Wednesday, April 19 at various crosswalk locations throughout Springfield.
“Crosswalk Yield Checks are a way to give the community a friendly nudge to obey the rules,” says City Traffic Safety Professional Mandy Buettgen-Quinn. “Our goal is education through enforcement. Officers are still providing a warning and education materials to those they pull over, but soon they may consider issuing citations as necessary.”
According to crosswalk compliance assessments conducted in the first quarter, 2023, Springfield drivers currently yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk approximately 49% of the time. National studies show that educational enforcement activities like Yield Checks can result in 70% or more of drivers yielding at crosswalks.
Yield Check officers report the following results for each location conducted so far in the 2023 initiative:
March 24 – Mt. Vernon Street and Golden Avenue
20 drivers were checked.
13 drivers failed to yield to a pedestrian.
35% overall driver compliance rate.
March 31 – 1300 E. Bradford Parkway
86 drivers were checked.
19 drivers failed to yield to a pedestrian.
78% overall driver compliance rate.
April 5 – Norton Street and Broadway Avenue
26 drivers were checked.
15 drivers failed to yield to a pedestrian.
42% overall driver compliance rate.
April 12 – Sunset Street and Grand Avenue
26 drivers were checked.
18 drivers failed to yield to a pedestrian.
31% overall driver compliance rate.
April 19 – Cherry Street at Holland Avenue
33 drivers were checked.
8 drivers failed to yield to a pedestrian.
75% overall driver compliance rate.
Additional Yield Check crosswalk enforcement events are planned throughout the spring at locations across Springfield. A Yield Check event at the crosswalk located at Chesterfield Boulevard and Westview Street is expected to take place next week.
How do Crosswalk Yield Checks work?
Three Springfield Police officers station themselves at a designated crosswalk location for approximately four hours, monitoring for driver compliance. One officer acts as a decoy pedestrian, a second functions as a spotter and a third in a patrol car is ready to stop those who do not properly yield to the pedestrian.
Posted signage is placed to alert drivers that they are approaching a Yield Check location. Those who are stopped are provided a warning and educational materials. After a warning period, drivers may receive citations for blatant violations. Officers may also address any pedestrians that do not follow regulations, providing similar warnings and education to those who put themselves or others at risk.
Funded through a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation, Crosswalk Yield Checks are conducted through a partnership between the Springfield Police Department and the SGF Yields pedestrian safety program administered by Springfield Public Works.
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 [email protected].
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Media contact: Communication Coordinator Kristen Milam at 573-819-3713 or [email protected].