Safety concerns are growing following a recent accident at the Nixa intersection

NIXA, Mo. (KY3) – State Highway 160 is the main artery through Nixa. Following the crash on Friday, November 1, some residents are concerned about the safety of the Aldersgate Drive intersection.

According to some residents, accidents occur frequently at this intersection.

“It probably happens once a week,” said MJ King, who works near the bustling intersection. “A few weeks ago, I think we had three games a week. It was ridiculous.”

King said accidents are a common occurrence there and she has witnessed such accidents herself.

“We’ve been talking about this for months,” King said. “It was such a huge problem. Many people will come here. Hey, did your cameras catch this accident so we can figure it out?

However, this is not the first time that doubts have been raised about this intersection. Back June 2021, Nixa police told KY3 News there have been 12 crashes with injuries in the first six months of this year, up from three the previous year. Recently, the Nixa Police Department said there has been no increase in crashes, but given the amount of traffic at the intersection, crashes may appear to be more frequent.

“There may be some cases that have been reported and some that have gone unreported, but we just don’t know,” Officer Brent Forgey said. “It’s hard to pick a specific intersection and then immediately find accurate statistics.”

According to Forgey, Nixa police collect crash data, which is then sent to the Missouri Highway Patrol, which cross-references the information with other data from departments across the state. As of Nov. 4, MSHP does not have any data on recent crashes, but 2021 maps show multiple crashes occurring on Highway 160 and Aldersgate Drive.

A map from the Missouri State Highway Patrol showing crashes starting in 2021(Missouri State Highway Patrol)

According to Forgey, another thing to keep in mind is that the holidays are approaching, which means there will be more people on the roads, and on days when severe weather conditions are affecting the area, you should be more careful.

“Whichever highway intersection you are at, you enter t. Pay attention to road conditions. If you see road signs, speed limit signs slow down. Be careful,” Forgey said. “There may be something you want to avoid as well.”

However, something has to change in the case of MJ King, who often has accidents there.

“I also drive on back roads, so I drive a lot of the slower bits,” King said. “It’s definitely scary to see all these cars driving through here. I saw many people turn on these lights.

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