University Middle Students to Coordinate Pedestrian Safety Event on South Highland
Saturday
November 14, 2019 - University Middle sixth grade students, Tk Buchanan of University of Memphis Police Services, the UofM Herff College of Engineering and Pouncer are holding an informational fair and event to raise awareness for pedestrian safety on Saturday from 9-11 a.m. This event will be held in the Goodwill parking lot on the corner of Walker Ave. and South Highland St.
Pedestrian safety is an important issue to all Memphians and affects a wide range of individuals. Almost 15% of people who are hit by cars are 70 years or older, 69% of fatalities happen to men and 8% are children under 15 years old. Most accidents happen in the afternoon and evening. Minors are usually hit after school between 3-7 p.m. and almost 30% of fatalities occur between the hours of 8 p.m. and midnight.
“I am happy to participate with University Middle to draw attention to a serious and growing problem in the University district and citywide, said Buchanan, community and safety liaison for UofM Police Services. “We had a pedestrian accident right there in the crosswalk earlier this year, and we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again using every resource we have.”
The student teams also draw attention to the environmental impact of having more walkers.
“Making pedestrians feel safer when crossing the street will help make people use their cars less and will help keep the environment healthy,” said Frank Crump, a University Middle sixth grader working on the event.
Participants can expect to meet Pouncer, the mascot for the University of Memphis. There will be tables presenting on pedestrian safety focusing on solutions and statistics about crosswalk safety as well as refreshments and games.