Biking is a common, eco-friendly way to get around, especially in San Francisco. Increasingly, people are choosing to bike instead of driving a car to cut down on transportation costs, Department of Motor Vehicle fees, and to reduce their carbon footprint. How Many People in San Francisco Are Biking? According to the San Francisco Municipal…
You’ve heard about the dangers of distracted driving – but what about distracted walking? You might not be putting others’ lives at risk when you walk while distracted, but you could be putting yourself in significant danger. According to the National Safety Council, distracted walking incidents are increasing. A combination of more walkable cities and…
On October 4th, Governor Jerry Brown officially signed Assembly Bill 390, which allows pedestrians to use a crosswalk when the countdown symbol is displayed, effective January 1, 2018. Previously, this was actually illegal – if you started walking across the street while the countdown was happening, it was technically jaywalking, and you could have potentially…
On October 4th, David Grinberg was struck and killed by a motorist near Golden Gate Park’s Panhandle at 5:22 p.m. – the third pedestrian death in as many weeks. While San Francisco is said to be one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the United States (2nd only to New York City in walkability), the…
A recent report revealed that one category, which California sits atop of, isn’t the type you want to be famous for; the Governors Highway Safety Association found that California, Florida, New York and Texas accounted for 42 percent of pedestrian fatalities nationwide. Even with an 11 percent decrease in the number of fatal pedestrian accidents…
Readers may have heard that in California, motorists must always yield to pedestrians. This implies that drivers are at fault whenever they hit somebody crossing the street. But is that really the law? In fact it is not. In general, the law requires motorists to yield whenever they encounter a pedestrian using a marked or…
Even in communities like San Francisco where WalkSF and its vision 2020 campaign seek to make streets and sidewalks safer for pedestrians, people on foot remain vulnerable when crossing the street, even when they are using the crosswalk and following traffic laws. When an inattentive or out-of-control motorist is behind the wheel, a pedestrian may…
Walking on the shoulder of the road is not ideal, but sometimes it is necessary. Many roads lack sidewalks, making the shoulder the safest option available for getting to your destination on foot. This means walking just a few feet from traffic. All it takes is a few moments of negligence on the part of…
The right to have sidewalks free of obstruction is something we take for granted. When sidewalks are impassable due to debris or unsafe pavement the government has an obligation to fix the situation. In California the obligation to keep public sidewalks and streets clear of dead or dying branches, limbs or entire trees is often…
Even when pedestrians are not crossing the street, they are still at risk for being struck by wayward auto drivers. Within the last three years, our attorneys here at Walkup Melodia have handled three major injury accident cases where drivers either lost control, became confused about their surroundings, or absentmindedly put their car into drive…
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