People in West Hartford are facing a rising threat, with children in the elderly most at risk. This rising threat is car accidents. Pedestrian accidents have been a growing issue in West Hartford for some time now, with 35 occurring across town in 2023. 

Many people attribute this issue to a lack of care and attention while driving. One of these people is Delrose, a Hall student who experienced a very close call with a distracted driver. “The car wasn’t stopping, and it felt like it was about to run me over,” said Delrose. She says drivers need to pay more attention, and not text or drink when they drive. “I feel like that rule is bypassed a lot.”

Garlink Dumont, a local lawyer, thinks the attention problem goes both ways. “The current laws need to be followed including driving violations and pedestrian violations.” She thinks awareness needs to be increased,  saying simply “if people were more aware, they would be more careful.” 

So what changes are being made? As of January 2023, the town of West Hartford has become the first municipality in Connecticut to commit to the Vision Zero initiative. Vision Zero is an organization that promises flexibility toward

system-wide change. It keeps a close eye on crash statistics (which are publicly available on the town of West Hartford’s website) and it aims to eliminate serious and fatal crashes by the year 2033.

Vision Zero was only recently adopted, and its impacts have yet to be felt. However, its being in place represents a willingness of the town to make real changes for its citizens’ safety. Until the town government intercedes, it is our duty as neighbors to be safe and aware and look out for