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Santa Monica, Calif., police in October vowed to crack down on pedestrians and motorists who disobey right-of-way laws in an attempt to curb a rash of traffic incidents involving vehicles and Angelenos on foot.
The stepped-up enforcement began just days before a study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute revealed that Los Angeles was one of the most dangerous cities for pedestrians.
The study released last month investigated crash patterns in the megacities of New York and Los Angeles in comparison with crash patterns for the entire U.S. Data from eight years (2002-2009) were included in the analysis.
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New York and Los Angeles see far more pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities as a percentage of traffic deaths than the national average. In New York, pedestrian fatalities accounted for 49.6 percent of crash deaths, more than four times the national average of 11.4 percent, according to the study. In LA, pedestrian fatalities made up 32.4 percent of all traffic-related deaths.
Fatal crashes involving bicyclists also made up a higher proportion of traffic deaths in the two cities. In New York, that number is 6.1 percent, more than three times the national average of 1.7 percent. In LA, 2.8 percent of fatal crashes involved bicyclists.
According to the study, more crashes and more fatal crashes also occur at night in New York and Los Angeles than on average in the United States. Particularly in New York, more fatal crashes happen at intersections and on roads with a speed limit of 35 mph or less.
When NBC4 visited Santa Monica on Tuesday, cameras captured several close calls in the coastal city’s intersections.
In one incident, a driver honked his horn to warn pedestrians stepping into the crosswalk that he's not giving them the right of way. They take it in stride and keep walking, but before they can make it to the other side, two more cars race by within inches of them.
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In 2012 alone, 88 pedestrians in Santa Monica were struck by vehicles. Three of them were killed.
"It's distracted driving, not knowing where you're going, being in a rush, and alcohol is always a negative," said Sgt. Richard Lewis.
October sting operations aimed at cracking down on those in cars and on foot who ignore pedestrian laws are an effort to prevent tragedies such as the death of Claire Rose. She was killed by a hit-and-run driver on July 16, her 30th birthday, while in the crosswalk at 21st Street and Wilshire Boulevard.
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Despite offering a reward, police have been unable to find the black Toyota Corolla that fatally struck Rose.
Rose’s death left her boyfriend, Sasha Rasmussen, devastated.
"My life's been turned upside down," he said. "My insides have been crushed. Claire was everything to me."
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Enforcing laws to make streets safer for pedestrians, Rasmussen said, is a step in the right direction, but he’d like to see structural changes, like better lighting for crosswalks and more traffic cameras.
"I would say to drivers be cautious. Be aware. Pay attention to what's going on, because Claire was an amazing person," Rasmussen said.
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Where I live the crosswalks are clearly marked and well defined and yet you are at greater risk using them than crossing in the middle of the block. Every marked crosswalk has a sign in the middle warning motorists "State law requires yield right of way to pedestrians in crosswalk" Yet every year ten or more people are hit by motorists in too big a hurry to wait ten seconds for the light to change. The crosswalks also have signs posted 100 feet and fifty feet from the actual crosswalk just to warn motorists of pedestrian traffic. These signs in the crosswalks need to be replaced regulary as people like to run over them for some reason. Yet people wonder why I feel safer skydiving.
What absolutely drives me crazy is the drivers who are in a super hurry to make a right turn on a red light. They will flash their lights, honk their horns and flip you off if you stop for a pedestrian in a cross walk or actually obey a no turn on red sign.
The one joy I did get was the one time an impatient driver decided to speed through a private property at a corner, avoiding a no turn on red light and jump right into traffic, cutting off a police car. I had gone to a grocery store and on returning saw that the offending driver was still being detained about 45 minutes later. I think some police officers actually do take a little extra time to make sure they run every possible check on drivers who show particular impatience.
Dirp,Yeah I love those impatient drivers.I just smile at them in my rear view mirror.they can wait.I always give the pedestrian the right of way even if the signal turns red before they get across.
I have an easier time with pedestrians than cyclists. While I'd hate to hit either, I lag behind the cyclists when I can to make sure they're out of the way, make sure there isn't pedestrian approaching the crosswalk or preparing to jaywalk while at the same time looking in my rear view for that speeding driver in the event I have to stop suddenly. My difficulty with too many cyclists is that they sometimes come out of nowhere, ride along side cars in any lane, weave in/out of lanes to avoid stopping and if they are hit, it's the driver's fault. I was preparing to turn left on my green when a cyclist flew by in front of me, never slowing down and never looking in any direction except ahead. If I hadn't stopped suddenly, he would've been hit. I've seen more cyclists take the yellow and red lights regardless of what vehicular traffic there is, often causing their own accidents.
aND there lies the problem. On the waterways, the smaller vehicle yields to the larger one. Therefore, Pedestrians needs to pay attention, and develop a signal to let drivers know they are crossing. But they have equal responsibility to "look both ways" before crossing, by having the drivers attention before crossing.
Now bikers, oi vey. Everyone keeps saying they need to follow the rules of the road - then why aren't they registered and have mandatory insurance to cover damages they cause when they break the law. AND follow the rules of the road as well as get tickets from cops for reckless biking - the streets are NOT their playground. I very rarely see hand signals being used, or lights on the front of bikes and reflectors on the rear. If I drove without lights - I would be ticketed.
They say they want an equal share of the road - but not equal responsibility to pay to that PRIVILEGE.
Both Pedestrians, bikes AND cars need to know what each other is doing. It is so sad we are becoming a nation of laws and fines and avoidable pain.
Probably because bicyclists ignore stop signs and other signs all the time, and just assume everyone will stop for them. They also ride in the middle of the lane going 25 miles and hour less than the speed limit and pissing everyone off behind them. Once cyclists stop being so self centered, they will probably be hit less.
When we first went to london, my father asked a bobby about the safety of their marked crosswalks (called 'zebra zones' ) the reply was "if they hit you here, they are required to stop". How comforting.....
I can understand the bicyclists being in that group if they ride the same there as here in my town. They have a death wish. They ride on the wrong side of the street, don't, stop at top signs, ride on the side walk, day and night, and do not stop at the street when they enter. they ride in dark cloths and no lighting at night. The list goes on and on. I am surprised that any survive.
No surprise on that. I also see bicyclists flagrantly flaunting the law all the time. They run both stop signs & stoplights, crossing 4-lane roads against the red light, riding the wrong way (against traffic), and all the time using no hand signals or seem to pay attention to anything but their destination. I've even seen them cross large intersections diagonally at red lights, just to get to the other side! Seems a lot of them have a death wish.....
My brother was hit by a car back in 1982. It caused a massive head injury. I used to ride in the streets too; usually about 15 or so miles a day.
Since then, I have become more aware of what is passing you sometimes at 50+ mph. Drunks, people on pills, inexperienced drivers from foreign countries, new drivers, senile drivers, people who forgot their glasses, ladies smacking their kids in the back seat as the stereo's blasting, people arguing, people texting and on phones, people messing with GPS, road ragers who will intentionally come as close to you as they can to intimidate you, etc.
You'd have to have a death wish to ride the streets is the way I see it anymore, but I still don't wear a helmet. I think they are for dorks.
I so agree! I am an avid cyclist and have been hit 3 times. All three times were in broad daylight on a lightly travelled road and all 3 times it was the motorists fault. Twice I was sideswiped and once an impatient driver made a left turn into me without slowing at all while I was crossing a side street in a bike lane. I am one of the lucky ones- broken arms and legs but no head injury. While the article cites cyclists and pedestrians who do not obey traffic laws my bet is most of them do and drivers are just not paying attention. In all three incidents the driver got a light slap on the wrist and our local police force admitted that they do not know the bicycle laws.
The one thing drivers don't seem to understand is that they are driving around a deadly weapon. They are not sitting on their couch at home, but inside a two thousand pound hunk of steel travelling at a high rate of speed with the resultant massive amount of inertia. Us bicyclists are squishy humans without a surrounding shell of steel protecting us from other hurtling steel objects
I have also been hit twice, once when I was in the middle of the intersection when the light changed and a person waiting to turn left wasn't paying attention and blind sided me. The second time an idiot pulled out in front of me making a right hand turn on a red light (technically I hit him and surfed his hood, but the ground hitting me in the fashion it did was entirely his fault and not something that I had planned at all). Both times were hit and runs and since I wasn't seriously injured there wasn't a lot of motivation to find the motorists who hit me.
I no longer ride on busy roads.
While what you say is true about vehicle drivers, and the lack of patience and/or focus of some, cyclists just like drivers need to adhere to the rules of the road. Too many times that does not happen on the part of the cyclist; I've seen too many near hits on busy streets because the cyclist is weaving in and out of traffic, or creating a lane the same way motorcyclists do. I've seen a cyclist on the on ramp of a freeway, slowing other motorists as they go around her because she was tying up traffic while on her cell phone. Maybe she was lost or unsure of what to do however, in L.A, freeway signs are posted as one is approaching, and at the base of the on ramp, so if one is paying attention, one knows this piece of road is the freeway on ramp; she had ample opportunity to avoid getting onto the freeway.
Best bet, stay off the roads. You have a right to be there, but you also have a right to end up like my brother.
It wasn't just his life destroyed, among other things, helping him has cost me well over a hundred thousand dollars since, and he had a masters degree from U of M Ann Arbor in Actuarial math.
Maybe if cyclists actually followed street signs like motorists they wouldnt have to worry. Stop signs and the like are designed for you guys as well.
what I hate to see is the people who walk who are 50 feet from a crosswalk, but won't use it, or worse, are in the crosswalk, and won't trigger the signal and walk when the RED hand is up - which means they are breaking the law by disobeying a traffic signal! Let me see a cop stop the pedestrian and give them the $100+ ticket for disobeying a traffic signal for once, and maybe they'll pay a bit more attention to using the signals - isn't that what they're for? If the cars have to obey, so shouldn't the pedestrians and bicyclists? Shouldn't it be equal opportunity traffic infractions?? Ticket the pedestrians for jaywalking, not obeying traffic signals for crossing against the light, etc... so they watch for the cars when they're NOT supposed to be in the road, and get them for just walking out in the road - instead of blaming it all on the cars! There's two sides to the issue... and I never see the cops sitting someplace on their bicycle... watching to catch pedestrians in a high traffic area not following the rules!!!
That's because pedestrians don't kill people by looking away, fiddling with the radio, or trying to text their boo about what they are going to have for dinner.
No, they're the ones who walk out into traffic because they don't pay attention to where they're going or what's going on around them. They're on the phone, texting, have ear buds in listening to music...or they're just so self-involved they expect you to stop for them when they DON'T have the right of way, just because they're so special.
Norcal2, you have the name Norcal but you live in Florida? Anyway, why are some people so obsessed with being offended or about others being offended?? Nobody can make another person feel anything. A feeling is the direct result of your own thinking about what someone else said or did. Your thoughts lead to your own feelings. If you feel bad or are offended, it is not because of the other person--it is because of what you are thinking the other person meant. Can we all stop this pussyfooting around others "feeeeelings" and start taking responsibility for our own lives and our own reactions? Geez. And yes, Maureen totally OVER-reacted.
Janine- what are you talking about? Are you a bit lost perhaps?
Methinks Janine is confused on which article she is posting a reply to. :)
Just because the sign says you have the right of way doesnt mean that you will win a fight between you and a 2 ton moving metal object...show some common sence and make sure cars are stopping before you step out into the street...regardless of what color the lights are...
I was almost nailed by a cab near Ground Zero a couple of years ago and I can tell you flat out that they don't give a crap and they are almost always speeding in areas with high traffic volume and pedestrians. I'm surprised more people aren't run over or killed there.
In California you'd better beware of the drivers if you are on foot or a bicycle.They would run their own mother over because everybody is all important and in a hurry.I do see three bicycle infractions daily.One is not riding in the same direction as traffic and two is not walking your bike in the crosswalk.People ride their bike in the crosswalk narrowly missing pedestrians.Thirdly is people that ride their bicycles on the sidewalk.
Pedestrians are constantly walking out in front of moving cars - they think that since they have the 'right of way' they don't have to stopand look and not move until the cars stop. Byciclists are always on narrow roads in the driving lane (joggers as well) and expect that all cars will slow down and follow them instead of passing -- arrogance and entitlement on the part of both and just plain lacking in common sense. It is a wonder they are not all killed or maimed!
It is hard to tell what the modern pedestrian is going to do. And we have lots of illegals riding bikes on sidewalks ,the wrong way, of the curb into traffic. Sorry I am old school and pay no attention to sidewalks till I get to the corner. So if you pass me on the right on a bike into a cross walk ?????
Im out of snarky comments for this issue. Ive been lucky- only had a fool back over my bike once; and it was a short-piped YAMAHA! My full faced helmet( swung with devastating accuracy powered by 250 # of rage and adrenellin) removed the rear window so he could hear far better. if someone is involved in a car vs. bike/pedestrain accident, they should be FORBIDDEN to ride in a motor vehicle for 30 days(yup, you move to your work, dont work, "personal leave", AND as a minimum get VERY comfy walking shoes) no bus,cab, or friends. and a year from driving, after any additional jail time. Each contempt of court offense?? 1 yr in jail MANDATORY . The first 30 days will open their eyes to the vulnerability of those NOT in a car, and the next year should help them rember that driving is still a precious priviledge. Those willl be the "poster child" for the rest of us.
Amen brother. As a rider and bicyclists I am always in "the zone", but sometimes drivers can surprise you with their stupidity. I'm also one of those drivers who are super attuned to riders since I also ride.
It's not hard to pay attention to your surroundings. Put down the Big Gulp, set the phone aside, turn down the radio and DRIVE.
The Bavarians had it right - for years they refused to put a cup holder in BMW's because it was believed that it would encourage drivers to have a beverage while driving which they believe spoils the driving experience. Once you ride you will understand the meaning of the driving experience and the value of being in "the zone".
Between 2003 and 2010, I had no car in Los Angeles. Fortunately, I lived and worked on the westside where public transportation is quite copious and I therefore had no troubles getting around at all. However, during this period of time, whenever I walked around that area of town (to/from bus stops, etc.), there occurred at least SIX incidents where I was walking within posted crosswalks, WITH the right-of-way, where I was nearly hit or killed by motorists BUT FOR MY ACTIONS (jumping out of the way at the last moment). I'm not kidding--if I hadn't jumped out of the way, at the last second, I am 100% positive that I would have been kit by a car (or even killed) on six occasions in seven years. Crazy town.
If you want to kill someone and get away with it, just run them over with your car.
Many folks have discussed their frustration of bicyclists riding on sidewalks. I too believe that riding on a sidewalk can cause an unsafe environment for pedestrians. From my understanding, many cyclists ride on the sidewalk rather then the roadway due to safety concerns for themselves. Most cities, (at least the ones I have lived/visited) within the US are not friendly nor conducive to non-vehicular transportation. When I visited Linz, Austria this past summer, I was impressed with widened sidewalks that were approved for both bikes and pedestrians. Rather than having hostility towards walkers and bicyclists, we should encourage more of the behavior for a variety of reasons such as: health, reduced traffic, reduced costs, etc. It can cost cities a great deal of money to set-up dedicated bike lanes on existing roadways. Perhaps a cheaper and more efficient alternative could be to have dual use sidewalks, where feasible, to improve safety and reduce fatalities. I realize that there will be some individuals that would refuse to share a sidewalk just as many motorists refuse to share a roadway; as some individuals just have disdain for cyclists and pedestrians alike. What are your thoughts? What are easily implemented and cost effective solutions to get our people moving in a safe, healthy, fun, and equitable manner?
Americans don't like pedestrians, but cyclists are the scum of the road.
The key is for the pedestrians and bicycle riders to use their heads for something besides a hat rack. Stepping off the curb and assuming that they have been seen and that the driver has the time and the inclination to stop can be a very serious, occasionally fatal, mistake. Bicyclists riding in groups should still ride single file or at least stay in the bike lane if one is available. To do otherwise invites a serious case of road rash.
Okay. I agree that the traffic laws need to be followed. However, you know...as a pedestrian (and a bicyclist), a little common sense goes a LONG way towards avoiding a Darwin award. If you think a car is going to zoom by or not stop for you, then don't try to press your right-of-way. I always err on the side of caution. In a "who will die" contest between pedestrian or bicyclist and a motorized vehicle...Last I've checked, the vehicle will win.
Unfortunately, common sense isn't that common.
Bicyclists and pedestrians here in So Cal especially Orange County think they own the roads and will do as they please. They run red lights, Make turns on red lights, Ride and run two and three wide and wonder why drivers get pissed off at them. We have tons of bike lanes and they are three feet wide Minimum and they still ride right on the line if they would just move over to the center of there lane it would be much easier for drivers to avoid them. In traffic runners and bikes will run red lights all day long. I drive allot on the coast here and if I was a police officer I could easily give out 20 to 30 tickets a day to runners and riders alike. I ride a motorcycle and am very aware of being in the zone I don't push my luck like bicyclist and pedestrians do here.
I would like to add my 2 cents. I've lived in a town, Northampton Mass, where the pedestrians don't even break their stride coming off the curb. They don't look to see what's coming at them and smile or laugh at you when you have to slam on your breaks and lock up your wheels in a screech to avoid hitting them. I was taught to look both ways before crossing the street. To cross on the green and not in between. But if you hit one of these boneheads and they are in a crosswalk, you are completely screwed. I now live in Maine where it's the bicyclists doing this. They dart right in front of you, don't stop for red lights, don't even slow down and ride 2 or 3 abreast. I'm sorry, these people are idiots. At times I feel like just slamming into them and thin the herd.
I have felt that way as well. But in there defense there is a few that respect the law. Laymens terms few mean 3 lol
The bottom line here is paying attention, common sense and following the laws. I drive a car, walk and ride a bike and in each case follow the law and use common sense. I watch whats going on around me at all times. My problem is that 99% of people out and about don't. I have no problem with cross walks as long as people do what they were taught when they were 5. Look both ways and get eye contact with drivers coming your way. Living in LA, it is high time that tickets start being handed out for those who walk against the light and signal, who just keep walking into traffic without looking or have a cell up to their ear with no attention to their surroundings. The bike riders that run lights and stop signs and ride to impead traffic should also be handed a ticket. This also includes the drivers that fail to follow the law. Unfortunatly the police are also in a hurry and don't have time anymore to enforce the laws that were made to stop all this inappropriate behavior. More cops on foot and on bikes is the awnser!!
in elmira ny cops are to lazey to do there jobs. i can go from the corner store to my house and see at least three handy cape tags hangin from rerveiw merors,in ny on the bottum of those tags it says remove from miror while driving yet the cops could sit right behind them and b to fat and lazey to do there jobs
If you are an adult you must be responsible for yourself. I am amazed (depressed?) when I see what people do at a corner crosswalk. Many times at least, they wait for the "white colored hand" to show; then they walk right out into the street without even looking. Vehicles are still approaching the crosswalk and they step right in front of them! You don't know who is driving the vehicle, when you step in front of a moving vehicle you are challenging the laws of physics, they are rather strictly enforced! There is no debate. Parents, please teach by example. Lastly, if you are driving a vehicle, you too must be responsible, you're going to get there, just let the people clear.
I am an avid cyclist and I use the roads. I haven't yet lived in a place that has laws that say a cyclist can use the roadway that doesn't have a law accompanying that which states that cyclists are obligated to obey the same laws that govern the drivers of motor vehicles within the limits of the bicycle and the rider. I wish cyclists would get more tickets for breaking the laws. It might save a few of them getting injured or killed when the chickens come home to roost.
The next question that cyclists and pedestrians should ask themselves is "What price am I willing to pay to be right?" Even if the driver is clearly wrong, the price is very for a ped or cyclist to intentionally put themselves in the path of a 3000 lb vehicle and "dare them to cross this line". If they're not paying attention (high probability these days) or are insane enough to take that dare the ped or cyclist winds up critically injured or killed whether they were right or not. Even if the driver is jailed they're getting off light in comparison.
Like the guy said before -- use your heads for more than a hat rack...drivers included. More than 90% of crashes of any type are due to human error and are preventable. This is why in some European countries you can be cited just for being involved in a crash aside from what actually caused it.
pedestrians are also to blame ,many are careless and just walk out into oncoming traffic or just cross when the light is green ,as for cyclist they are the worst offenders of traffic laws in NYC ,they even crash into pedestrains often going over 30 mph, your suppose to "share the road" not own it ,"ITS A TWO WAY STREET" respect eachother
What good is having the right-of-way if you're going to get mowed down in the process?
When I am out walking, and I have the right-of-way at a crossing, I yield to any vehicles - including bicycles - that don't show signs of slowing down to yield to me. It's self-preservation, I suppose, and I don't understand why anybody else would put themselves in harms way just to make a point; that is, that they have the right-of-way.
Headstone of person who didn't yield to an oncoming car: "I Had the Right-of-Way!"
ive gone for walks hit intersections and hoped let a pig come through so i can use the idiot law on him,every one els ill wait for to go by.any thing that out weighs me im not steping in front of. people learn to look before crossing.
its that way in ny because we have the idiot law yeild to pedestrians in cross walks jack a-- look before u step into a road,must b mommey and daddey didnt teach it to them or they think there king sh-- and have the right of way sorrey if ur doing 40 in a 40 idiot steps out its his own stupidity and the gov for encuraging it
The speed limit in NY is 30.