Hot Springs police stress driver, pedestrian safety after 10 incidents in six months

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Authorities in Hot Springs are stressing driver and pedestrian safety after 10 incidents in the last six months, two of which were deadly.

Hot Springs police are saying they’re making a stronger effort to make their streets safer to bring those statistics down.

Looking over Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs is A Narrow Escape, an escape room business. The business says they see close calls between cars and people. Sandor Hampo said it ranges from jaywalking to speeding.

“When I’m up here giving instructions for game rooms and stuff, it scares kids sometimes, people are speeding and you can hear them,” Hampo said.

Blayne Burroughs described a close call that he said happened before speaking with KARK 4 News.

“We were just coming across the little sidewalk over there and almost got hit by the car,” Burroughs said.

Moments like those are what officials with the Hot Springs Police Department say is causing them to focus on the issue of vehicle and pedestrian incidents.

According to the department, most of the incidents are due to drivers not yielding to pedestrians as well as pedestrians not crossing at crosswalks.

“Unfortunately, it’s a habit I need to get out of myself,” Hampo said. “I’m quick to work, I got to get there. I don’t use the crosswalk as much as I used to, but I do see a lot of people jaywalking.”

Officers will be enforcing crosswalk safety over the next few weeks at various locations across the city, something Hampo said is needed.

“I’m surprised I haven’t heard about a push for jaywalking awareness sooner,” Hampo said.

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