Nearly a year ago, a nine-year-old Kansas City kid was riding her bike in a marked crosswalk when she was fatally struck by a vehicle — even though she had a green signal to go.
Hazen Workman-Duffy was on her way to Ingels Elementary School in south Kansas City. It was one of a string of traffic deaths and injuries involving children last fall in the Kansas City area.
Kansas City leaders acted to keep children safer on the road by quickly banning right turns on red in school zones when speed limits are in effect. A total of 146 signs in and around 41 school zones have been installed in the year since, according to a Kansas City spokesperson.
Traffic deaths were down by 30% in 2025 following Kansas City's effort to redesigning roads through the Vision Zero program.
Still, a total of 68 people were killed in traffic crashes last year, according to the police department's annual report. Three of them were between the ages of 0-19.
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If you have questions or want to talk, please email education reporter Jodi Fortino at jodifortino@kcur.org.
