Mother of Biker Killed in U City Pleads for Road Safety

Be brave like Sam. That was the message from Samuel Scott's mother Susan Monday as she urged motorists and cyclists alike to be careful on the roads.

Samuel Scott, 19, was down Delmar from his job at Dewey's Pizza. Emily C. Hagan, 30, of Kirkwood was sentenced in March to three years in prison. 

As previously reported, .

Susan Scott urged caution for motorists and bicyclists when she spoke Monday outside the Missouri History Museum. She said being brave included taking keys away from friends who shouldn't be driving and telling a driver not to text while they are behind the wheel. 

Scott was in St. Louis to speak as part of a kickoff event for the "Safe Roads for All" initiative. 

Trailnet, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and Metro Transit are partnering to enforce the need for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to share the road and be aware of one another's safety, according to a press release.  

"Safety is our #1 priority," St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Sam Dotson said. "St. Louis is second in Missouri in fatalities and we want to be at the bottom of that list."

According to MoDOT, in recent years pedestrian fatalities comprise 8 percent of Missouri's traffic crash fatalities. There were 2,483 people killed in Missouri traffic crashes from 2009 to 2011 where 203 of them were pedestrians. 

Dotson then urged motorists, pedestrians and cyclists to do their part for road safety, so police don't have to.

"Pedestrians and bicyclists need to understand that they have primary responsibility for their own safety," Ed Hassinger, MoDOT District Engineer for St. Louis region, said at the event. "The motoring public also has a responsibility to share the road in a safe and courteous manner with these vulnerable road users."

See our previous coverage: 

• Woman Who Killed Bicyclist in U City Sentenced
• Bicyclist's Death in University City Prompts Charges