If you see Orthodox Jews walking in University City on a Friday night, you might notice them wearing something else beside a headcovering, suit or a dress. You might notice them wearing reflective vests, belts or arm bands. 

And that, of course, is the point: that you notice them. Orthodox Jews walk in greater numbers on Shabbat than the rest of the week because they observe the Jewish law that prohibits them driving or riding in a car on that day. That can also put them at greater risk of being hit by a car. 

“The challenge we have in University City is that many of the streets don’t have sidewalks so many people walk in the street, and they need to wear reflective clothing so that cars can see them,” said Rabbi Moshe Shulman of Young Israel of St. Louis.

Over the last decade, rabbis in St. Louis and across the country have stepped up their efforts to encourage people to wear reflective clothing. The increased emphasis has been in response to pedestrians being hit by cars. 

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In December, Dr. Richard Friedman, a surgeon and medical director of a volunteer ambulance service, was killed on a Saturday afternoon in Lawrence, N.Y., while walking home from synagogue.

“Dr. Friedman was a wonderful person who gave [of] himself for over three decades,” David Shipper, a spokesman for Chevra Hatzalah Volunteer Ambulance Corps told Newsday. “Unfortunately, when a life is cut short, it becomes ever more senseless when it is an individual who is responsible for saving hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.”

The problem is not unique to the Jewish community. In 2017, there were nearly 6,000 pedestrians killed in the United States — a 25-year high, according to estimates from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

After the New York accident, the Orthodox Union, an umbrella group, sent an email to rabbis across the country offering to send them free reflective belts. Rabbi Ze’ev Smason of Nusach Hari B’nai Zion ordered 50 and has been handing them out to congregants. 

After previous similar accidents, people were more deliberate about wearing reflective gear when walking at night, but “the enthusiasm for being careful seems to have faded,” said Smason. “Probably like with most things there is an initial burst of the enthusiasm and then memory of the story begins to fade.”

He and Shulman both said drivers have stopped and thanked them for wearing the gear. 

Rabbis in University City have also met with the the local police department about drivers who don’t stop at crosswalks. Over the summer, the police “conducted a crosswalk campaign all throughout University City to address the issue,” Capt. Fredrick Lemons of University City Police Department stated in an email. “We believe it was informative  and a [good] way to get the message out about the crosswalk safety for [drivers] as well as pedestrians.”