As traffic volumes increase on Missouri roadways, MoDOT continues to look for new ways to make it safer for pedestrians to cross them.

From 2002 to 2004, 250 pedestrians were killed and more than 1,000 seriously injured in Missouri traffic crashes. Countdown indications and “talking” crosswalks are two ways Missouri crosswalks are becoming safer across the state.

The “talking” crosswalks are the newest technology advancement in crosswalk safety. The signal has a locator tone all the time so a vision-impaired person can find the crosswalk button. After the button is pushed, a different tone tells the pedestrian when it’s okay to cross. These new signals cost about $2,000 each.

“We recently installed one of these signals in Hannibal after a request from a vision-impaired resident,” said MoDOT Maintenance and Traffic Engineer Mark Giessinger. “The signal is installed right by a school, so many people benefit from this new safety advance.”

Countdown indications have a visual number that counts down, telling the pedestrian how much time is left to cross the street. The countdown indications can be found all over the state.

“Countdown indications are becoming more commonplace throughout the state since their first installation in the 1990s and the ‘talking’ crosswalks are in use in several places throughout the state,” said Julie Stotlemeyer, signal and lighting engineer.

Signal advancements such as these aim to improve safety and reduce the number of pedestrian-related deaths and injuries on Missouri roadways.