Why are San Francisco streets so dangerous for pedestrians?
A recent column in the San Francisco Chronicle cited a chilling statistic: a full 50% of the traffic fatalities in the city involve pedestrians. This compares with an average of 15-20%. This far from the first report about how dangerous our streets are for pedestrians.
According to a U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study, SF is the 4th most dangerous city for pedestrians per capita (among U.S. cities with populations of 500,000 or more).
So why do we have so many pedestrians being hit in San Francisco? I don't think it's because we San Franciscans are careless drivers or pedestrians. It's probably because we have the most dense concentration of pedestrians of any California city. Our often-narrow streets, and buildings with very little setback restrict visibility. At many San Francisco intersections, you cannot see who might be coming from the cross street until it's almost too late. Our many steep hills don't help either.
Although the Chronicle piece details some planned measures to try to address the problem, I think the primary way to avoid being hit as a pedestrian is to be extra defensive. Don't assume drivers can see you. Don't assume that someone you can't see one second won't come zipping around a corner the next. Make eye contact with drivers before stepping out in front of their cars. Never run or hurry into the street or crosswalk. Here is a link to an excellent list of pedestrian safety tips.
I believe that we see dramatically different policing of driving offenses in San Francisco, being a more defensive pedestrian is the only sure way to avoid becoming one of those statistics.
