Thirty accidents over seven years, 16 of which occurred during the past three years, at the intersection of State and Martin Luther King Jr. streets is an indication that something is amiss.

Anyone who has attempted to make a left turn off of State Street onto Martin Luther King Jr. Street has experienced the problem.

Seeing oncoming traffic can be difficult as you pull on to Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

And, for whatever reason, drivers traveling on Martin Luther King Jr. Street sometimes fail to see the traffic light or try to run through the yellow light, or simply are not paying attention.

At least one fatality has occurred at the intersection in the past three years.

Natchez city officials have studied the intersection and consulted experts from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Based on MDOT’s recommendation, city officials went with the least expensive option of placing stop signs at the three-way intersection.

Installing a warning beacon with flashing lights to warn drivers the traffic light is about to turn yellow was deemed too expensive at $15,000.

We hope aldermen made the right choice on this one. After all, you cannot put a price on a human life.

If people did not stop for a red traffic light at the intersection, we wonder if they will notice a stop sign at the intersection.

Time will tell.

In the meantime, we urge drivers to be more cautious and pay attention while behind the wheel, not only at that particular intersection but everywhere.