San Francisco Drivers Urged To Slow Down For Pedestrians
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – San Francisco drivers are being reminded to slow down while driving through the city during this holiday season, a time when more pedestrians take to the streets.
San Francisco has the highest per capita vehicle-pedestrian collision rate in California. Among the dangerous intersections: 6th and Market and 19th and Holloway.
KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said deadly accidents don't have to occur if drivers slow down.
"Especially during the holiday season, we have a greater number of pedestrians walking on the streets," said Gascon. "It's also getting dark earlier."
Every year, more than 800 people are hit by cars in San Francisco.
Elizabeth Stampe, Executive Director with Walk San Francisco, said the collisions are six times more likely to be deadly if drivers are traveling 30 miles per hour rather than 20 miles per hour.
"The holiday season is a time of sharing and we should be sharing our streets," she said.
That sharing also includes bicyclists, as the numbers continue to increase in San Francisco.
"Just in the last four years, the number of people biking has increased by 58 percent," said Leah Shahum with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
Shahum said that cycling does come with rights and responsibilities, including efforts to insure that bicyclists are visible at night.
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