Safety concerns are increasing following the recent accident at the Nixa intersection

NIXA, Mo. (KY3) – State Highway 160 is a main road through Nixa. Following an accident there on Friday, November 1, some in the community are concerned about safety at the intersection at Aldersgate Drive.

Some people in the community say the intersection is no stranger to accidents.

“It’s probably about once a week,” said MJ King, who works near the busy intersection. “A few weeks ago I think we had three in one week. It was ridiculous.”

King said accidents are common there, and she has witnessed them as they happen.

“We’ve been talking about it for months,” King said. “It’s been such a big deal. Several people come in here. Hey, did your cameras catch this crash so we can get to the bottom of this?”

However, this is not the first time concerns have been raised about this intersection. Back inside June 2021, Nixa police told KY3 News that there were 12 crashes involving injuries in the first six months of that year, compared to three the year before. More recently, Nixa police said the number of crashes has not increased, but given how busy the intersection is, crashes may become more common.

“There may be some that are reported and some that are not reported, but we just don’t know,” Officer Brent Forgey said. “It’s difficult to pick a particular intersection and then immediately find the exact statistics.”

According to Forgey, Nixa police collect crash data, which is then sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which merges that information with other data from departments across the state. As of Nov. 4, MSHP does not have data on the most recent crashes, but maps going back to 2021 show multiple crashes occurred on Highway 160 and Aldersgate Drive.

Missouri State Highway Patrol map showing crashes dating back to 2021(Missouri State Highway Patrol)

According to Forgey, another thing to keep in mind is that the holidays are coming, which means more people will be out and about, and on days when severe weather hits the area, more caution is needed.

“At whatever intersection you are on the highway, you will encounter a t. Pay attention to road conditions. If you see road signs, slow down speed signs. Be careful,” Forgey said. “Maybe there is also something you want to avoid.”

However, something needs to change for MJ King, who regularly sees accidents there.

“I also ride these back roads, so I get a lot of the slower parts,” King said. “It’s definitely scary to see all these cars driving by here. I’ve seen a lot of people operating these lights.”

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