WKRN News (Tennessee)
Clarksville police are cracking down on bad drivers after a string of deadly accidents in their city. Montgomery County is at an all-time high in traffic fatalities, with a record 38 traffic fatalities so far this year. Now Clarksville’s top brass are taking action against problems inside the city limits.
Clarksville drivers will be seeing some noticeable changes in the next few weeks, including more “speed trailers” to make them aware of how fast they’re going. They’re part of the new plan to stop fatal crashes and save lives.
Clarksville Mayor Don Trotter said, “If people will do what they should do, we could have our police officers doing many other things we would like them to do. But unfortunately, they’re not doing what they should and obey the law, so we’re going to have to enforce the law.”
So far this year, 14 people have died on Clarksville streets. Six of those victims were juveniles. And it’s not just cars hitting cars - it’s cars hitting people. In October, two elderly women were run over as they were trying to cross this busy section of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard.
“It’s not surprising...it’s very disappointing. We feel like we’re letting the community down in a little way,” said Clarksville Police Lt. Bill Carney.
So police and other city leaders are trying new tactics, like bigger road signs that are easier to see. They’ll also ask schools to require traffic safety class before students can get a parking pass. Officers say they’ll even put wrecked cars in busy public places to warn motorists that it can happen to them. The question that remains to be seen is - will all of this work?
Lt. Carney said, “I don’t think there’s anything we shouldn’t try. If we try and it fails, we’ve still tried. And our objective is to stop these fatalities.”
Clarksville police say they’ll target major thoroughfares and residential streets. When a crash occurs, they’ll examine the road structure for areas of improvement. And they also hope to install more sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians.