ST. LOUIS — With four pedestrians fatally struck by vehicles in separate incidents throughout St. Louis County this month, the St. Louis County Police have taken measures to help prevent what they call "a disturbing trend."

What You Need To Know

  • In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the north St. Louis County Police precinct has created a buckle-type vest that pedestrians can wear to promote visibility when walking, according to Capt. James Morgan

  • The vests are available at the north St. Louis County precinct located at 11815 Benham Road. While supplies are limited, Morgan said the department is working to get more and the vests will later be available at other precincts

  • North St. Louis County officers have been ensuring that crosswalk intersections are operable, according to Morgan. He said officers are checking how fast the crosswalk blinkers work and how many seconds pedestrians have to cross the street

  • The three other fatal incidents earlier this month involved people in the roadway at night or in the late afternoon and being struck by vehicles. The police reports do not specify if the victims were walking at crosswalks or not

The latest incident happened in the 9800 block of Halls Ferry Road where a woman was struck by a vehicle while in the roadway Tuesday night around 11:30 p.m., according to St. Louis County Police.

The woman was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries where she was later pronounced dead.

In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the north St. Louis County Police precinct has created a buckle-type vest that pedestrians can wear to promote visibility when walking, according to Capt. James Morgan.

By wearing the vests, he said this should limit the number of accidents.

“I think it’s important that we can be proactive in the moment because we are losing our community members,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re doing everything possible to get them home safely and back to our communities.”

The vests were first introduced during Wednesday night’s town hall meeting where some were handed out to the community.

The vests are available at the north St. Louis County precinct located at 11815 Benham Road. While supplies are limited, Morgan said the department is working to get more and the vests will later be available at other precincts.

Capt. James Morgan demonstrates how to wear the vest that pedestrians can wear to promote visibility when walking. The vests were first introduced during Wednesday night’s town hall meeting where some were handed out to the community. (Spectrum News/Gregg Palermo)

North St. Louis County officers have been ensuring that crosswalk intersections are operable, according to Morgan. He said officers are checking how fast the crosswalk blinkers work and how many seconds pedestrians have to cross the street.

The three other fatal incidents earlier this month involved people in the roadway at night or in the late afternoon and being struck by vehicles.

The police reports do not specify if the victims were walking at crosswalks or not.

Morgan advised drivers to turn down their instrument cluster light inside their vehicles in low-light settings.

“That bright light that’s inside your car, you may not really notice that, but if you cut the light down, you’re able to see out through your windshield a lot better,” he said.

Morgan asked for all citizens to be diligent and observant.

Pedestrian safety tips provided by Morgan:

  • Make sure you are not distracted by cellphones when walking and entering intersections.
  • If wearing headphones, make sure the volume is at a level where you can hear the surrounding environment.
  • Use the intersection crosswalks at all times.
  • If not at a crosswalk, make eye contact with the driver before crossing the street to make sure they see you.
  • Dress in lighter colored clothing to ensure visibility.