A new report is out looking at traffic crashes in the City of Springfield in 2024.
According to the 2024 Crash Report, issued by Safer Streets SGF, injury and fatal crashes on city-maintained roads tend to cluster along S. Campbell Avenue, downtown and along certain corridors of National Avenue.
South Campbell, it said, is the most problematic for injury crashes, followed by sections along National and Sunshine.
Safer Streets SGF is working to address a few hot spots. They include Campbell and Grand St., identified as Missouri’s third highest intersection by number of pedestrian crashes. That intersection had the highest number of crashes and injuries in 2024 on the municipal network. Campbell, from Sunshine St. to Minota St., the second-highest location on the city network for number of injuries; and Campbell, from Republic Rd. to Walnut Lawn, the road segment with the highest number of crashes on the city network, not including intersection crashes.
The report also looks at bicycle and pedestrian safety in Springfield in 2024 as well as driveway-related crashes.
There were 61 pedestrian crashes in Springfield last year. In 24 of those crashes, pedestrians walked across mid-block or walked into the road. In one, a pedestrian crossed against the light. In 25 crashes, drivers failed to yield to pedestrians. No clear determination could be made in 11 cases.
There was a total of 46 bicycle crashes last year, one fatal, 42 with injuries and three non-injury. Recommendations are to optimize the city's current bicycle network, support current efforts to provide safe crossings based on need; and bolster programs that teach bicycle skills and raise driver awareness.
According to the City, the report integrated cellular telematics data with the traditional traffic safety data. It’s a modern method of traffic analysis that leverages anonymous, aggregated location and motion data from smartphones and connected vehicles. City officials said the technology provides a much more detailed and comprehensive view of how, where and when drivers are using Springfield's roadways, including speeding trends, sudden braking events and more.
Public Works also conducted special camera deployments, which, with the help of AI, identified and analyzed near miss events.
