HASTINGS, Mich. — The intersection of Broadway Avenue and Green Street (M-37) has Hastings crossing guards pushing for safer school zones.
Sandy Rogers and Tom Patterson told FOX 17 that even when they're holding a stop sign, some drivers act like they have no idea what it is.
"Something bad's gonna happen," said Rogers. "Somebody will get hurt, or even killed."
According to Patterson, Broadway Avenue and Green Street used to be a one-crossing-guard intersection.
"I saw Sandy almost get hit, him and the kids he was crossing, four times in one week." That happened three years ago. Since then, Patterson has joined Rogers in helping students cross the street.
However, even with a two-man crew, things haven't changed.
"This school year alone, we've almost been hit nine times where people fail to stop," Patterson remembered.
He says out of the 900 vehicles that pass through the intersection, 230 run yellow lights and around 65 ignore red lights.
After a Kalamazoo crossing guard was hospitalized earlier this year after being hit by a car, Rogers and Patterson feel something needs to be done before someone else gets hurt.
"It takes 30 seconds to change from red to green and it takes two seconds to kill somebody," Rogers said.
Local authorities tried to help improve things by giving them signs with LED lights, but the two say they need more.
Since M-37 is a state highway, they say change is in the hands of state officials.
"Governor Whitmer signed new laws to help the school buses try to make them safer with enforcing the laws where they can record video and pass it on to local authorities," Patterson added that more cameras need to be installed at intersections to give crossing guards the same protections.
"These kids today are tomorrow's leaders and we want to see them succeed," Rogers said. "They have to be alive in order to do that."
Patterson has started a YouTube and Facebook page to raise awareness about the safety issues they are facing.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
