Fatal auto pedestrian accidents renew concerns for road safety

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) -- Two auto-pedestrian accidents in one day are renewing calls for safety on the roadways. An accident in West Ashley struck a pedestrian but the victim had only minor injuries. In Mount Pleasant, a man died in an auto-pedestrian accident at W. Coleman Blvd and Patriots Point this morning. The two incidents Friday and a fatal auto-pedestrain accident in Downtown Charleston last month has renewed concerns about roadway safety. One petition is quickly gathering signatures to make safety improvements on the road. "The death of Mrs. Simmons downtown, it has really spurred a bit of a movement, very quickly," said Katie Zimmerman, with Charleston Moves. "She touched a lot of lives. This is the second fatal pedestrain accident at the intersection of W. Coleman Blvd and Patriot Point Road in the last 2 years. Advocates say the size of the intersection makes it dangerous. "It's a tremendous amount of space for motor vehicles," said Zimmerman. "The more space, the wider the area is the more motorists are sort of naturally inclined to speed or to pay less attention." The Town of Mount Pleasant has made improvements with the bike lane but Charleston Moves say wider roads can encourage drivers to speed and make it harder to see people crossing. Charleston Moves said while there have been some intersection improvements, the number of crashes is not dropping. They say design plays a big role. "The best way to address and sort of fix unsafe driving habits is by changing the infrastructure, changing the street design," said Zimmerman. "That sort of helps motorists naturally calm down how they're driving." They say these tragedies are an important reminder to remember the person and work to prevent them from happening again. "Its really important for all of us to be thinking about these individual victims every time something like this happens," said Zimmernman. "I think it's important for people to think about that and recognize that and really advocate for the investment in, you know, public safety on our streets."