Q We've had crackdowns on not wearing seat belts. We've had crackdowns on using cellphones while driving. We've had crackdowns for speeding around schools. When are we going to have a crackdown on drivers who don't yield to pedestrians in crosswalks? They just drive around you. If you don't pay attention, they will run you over.

Tom Souers

San Jose

A A report released Tuesday gives the Bay Area mixed reviews on pedestrian safety. The advocacy group Transportation for America rated the 52 most dangerous large metropolitan areas in the nation, and the San Jose area came in at No. 30, while the San Francisco-Oakland area was 41st. This is based on data from 2000 to 2009 on the number of pedestrian deaths compared with the number of people walking in those areas.

That's encouraging, considering San Jose is the nation's 10th largest city.

But when the group ranked large metro areas by percentage of all traffic deaths that were pedestrians, it's not so good. The national average is nearly 12 percent, but four of the five areas with the highest percentage are in California. New York is No. 1 at 31.1 percent, followed by Los Angeles (27.2 percent), San Francisco-Oakland (26.1 percent), the South Bay (24.9 percent) and San Diego (21.8 percent).


Why the discrepancy? Safety officials say California has some of the safest roads in the country, and California's mileage death rate is the lowest of the five largest states in terms of total traffic fatalities for several reasons -- widespread usage of seat belts, mandatory helmet laws for motorcyclists, intensive campaigns against drunken driving, the growing use of red-light cameras and stepped-up enforcement on dangerous roads such as Highway 12, Highway 17, Highway 46 and Vasco Road.

But our nice weather means we walk more year-round, and more pedestrians get hit compared with other regions where snow, rain, hot and cold weather keep people inside more.

But your plea for a crackdown on how drivers react around pedestrians should be heeded. While pedestrian fatalities in California dropped 9.2 percent from 2008 to 2009, pedestrian deaths for those 65 and older increased 14.6 percent. With our aging population, that is a worrisome trend. More countdown signals and more visible crosswalks will help.

And drivers need to behave better. Read on.

Q My dog and I cross a very wide road (Portola Avenue in Livermore) at a place with no traffic signals using one of those buttons that makes the crosswalk blink with strobe lights. Virtually every time, one or more drivers will race over the crosswalk oblivious to the blinking. I've nearly been hit a few times and I now stop in the crosswalk several times until I see oncoming vehicles slowing.

The scariest time was when a car did stop, which caused three cars to stop in his lane, so I began crossing. Just then, an approaching car swerved to the next lane without even thinking there might be a reason others were stopped. I happened to be walking in front of that empty lane right then. She screeched to a halt, stopping a foot away from me. Can you please raise awareness about this? Crosswalks may seem like an inconvenience from the snug seat of a car. But I challenge people to get out and walk across one someday to see how treacherous it can be.

Sean Lemson


A Drivers are required to stop if cars in an adjacent lane at a crosswalk are stopped for a pedestrian. This is called the "Have a Clue" law, and it has been in place many years. The intent is to prevent auto-pedestrian crashes due to visual obstructions. Let's say a vehicle is stopped for a pedestrian crossing in the right lane. You are driving in the left lane. You cannot see the pedestrian and he can't see you. But there is a reason why that vehicle stopped, and you need to stop, too.

Q On a visit to Berkeley, I had to cross the street in a business district at a corner without a light, and was completely flabbergasted when traffic in both directions immediately stopped when drivers saw me get to the corner. There was a crosswalk, but no "Stop for pedestrians" sign, blinking lights or special street markings. And it was dark out. I can't recall the last time I've seen a driver stop for a pedestrian at a corner like that in San Jose. Maybe it's time for a story about the best places in the Bay Area to be a pedestrian.

Henry Ruddle

San Jose

A Good idea, and I wish all drivers were like this.
