“City street lights,
Even stop lights,
Blink a bright red and green,
As the shoppers rush home
With their treasures.” — Silver Bells

In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas, but pay attention.
The winter solstice is approaching and the afternoon sun hangs low in the sky. Meanwhile, we’re busy shopping or rushing to appointments. Everyone needs to slow down, especially when operating a motor vehicle.
Pedestrians are at risk as well. Don’t assume that the person behind the wheel of a vehicle will see you and don’t take unnecessary risks. Even walking across a parking lot can be dangerous.
At the end of November, a man walking across 10th Street in Great Bend died after being hit by a westbound pickup with an Oklahoma license plate. While the investigation continues, anyone with information about that incident should call the Great Bend Police Department, 793-4120. Or call Crime Stoppers, 792-1300 in Great Bend or the toll-free number 888-305-1300 for calls outside of Great Bend.
This month, and really every month, there have been numerous vehicular collisions and most could have been avoided.
The Kansas Department of Transportation reports that one in five vehicle crashes can be attributed to general inattention, and four out of five traffic crashes in 2016 were driver-related: Motorists failed to give full time and attention, failed to yield right-of-way, followed too closely or drove too fast for conditions.
The fifth most common cause of crashes — 13 percent of the total — was attributed to animals. Be on the lookout for those, too.