Auto accidents in San Diego are a common and unfortunate way in which people are catastrophically injured and lose their lives. Some of the worst involve pedestrians, bicyclists and others who are not protected by a vehicle of their own.
While many accidents are unavoidable, there are safety steps that the city can take to help avoid these collisions. However, it was recently revealed that the city has not been vigilant about its pedestrian safety initiatives. This adds to the potential for these types of accidents and people need to be cognizant of it.
Audit says pedestrian safety falls short
The Office of the City Auditor issued a report saying that there has been a lack of sufficient street lighting and crosswalks to enhance pedestrian safety. It says improvements may be needed. The last report was issued in 2016. It found that there was a lack of data usage to address pedestrian risk at specific intersections.
While data is getting more attention, there is a lack of funding to move forward with the necessary safety steps. Around 1,000 projects are listed, but the city can only complete about 40 annually. Therefore, it needs to tactically decide where to prioritize.
This comes about in the aftermath of the Vision Zero initiative that went into effect almost a decade ago. The program has the lofty goal of eliminating people suffering from severe injuries and fatalities in auto accidents by 2025. Despite its implementation, the statistics are basically the same as they were when it started.
Pedestrian risk seems to be worsening
Despite apparent efforts to educate drivers and pedestrians as to the potential for accident and injury due to distraction, speeding, recklessness and drunk driving, the fundamentals are still missing. Specifically, the infrastructure is not being updated with pedestrians in mind.
Given the chances of an auto accident and the possibility of brain injuries, spinal cord damage, cuts, broken bones and more, people need to be fully up to date on their options. That includes recovering personally and financially. Having help with a full investigation and assessing the case is critical from the outset.