More than half of fatal San Francisco Collisions in 2019 were Pedestrians

Pedestrians Account for 62 Percent of Fatal San Francisco Crashes

More than half of fatal San Francisco Collisions in 2019 were Pedestrians

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Feb. 6, 2020) — There were 18 pedestrian deaths last year out of 29 traffic fatalities in San Francisco, according to the Safe Streets for All traffic report compiled by the San Francisco Police Department’s Traffic Division.

The report, which was presented Wednesday to the Police Commission, noted that six pedestrians who died last year were at fault for their own deaths, but drivers allegedly caused the other 12 pedestrian fatalities as well as a bicyclist’s death.

It is notable that all but one of these 12 crashes involved a driver who violated the state’s vehicle code. Additionally, the District Attorney’s Office prosecutors filed vehicular homicide cases against the drivers involved in 11 of last year’s pedestrian fatalities. The twelfth driver was given notice to revoke probation.

Police Commissioner John Hamasaki points out that these drivers involved in fatal crashes with pedestrians operate their vehicles without regard for the safety of pedestrians.

Among the other eleven fatal crashes that didn’t involve a pedestrian last year, seven of the victims were drivers, two passengers and one was a motorcyclist.

The biggest problem appears to be drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks or intersections, but other causes include running a red traffic light, speeding and failure to yield the right of way, police said.

Pedestrians who were at fault generally were crossing the road against a red light or “don’t walk” sign. Meanwhile, the bicyclist who died was killed when a parked driver opened their door and the bike crashed into it.

Regardless of who is at fault, the city has taken steps to help reduce fatal crashes by becoming a Vision Zero community with a mission to eliminate all traffic fatalities by 2024.

Police are aimed at focusing on issuing five types of citations to combat the leading causes of collisions: speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk and running red lights.

Johnson Attorneys Group does not represent any of the parties mentioned above; nor is it our intent to represent any of the parties. If you would like to contribute to this story or you have legal questions, please contact us.

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James Johnson

James Johnson is passionate about educating the public about the myriad of individuals who are not following the rules of the road.His hope is to bring public awareness in order to change the laws to better protect our communities.