Hmm, this explains the four cop cars in front of Mtn. View Academy this afternoon when I went to take my dog for a walk. Too bad it takes an accident for the police to get out there.
Let's see how long they stick around Shoreline to ticket speeders and people not stopping for pedestrians.

My husband was actually on the way to taking my daughter to school and didn't see the accident but in on the street where it happened. This was actually on the crosswalk w/ a light on Villa and Shoreline...which makes it even worse.

I already don't trust drivers to stop for me on the crosswalk on Dana and Shoreline, so now we have to worry about them not stopping when we have a light to cross with!

How many more kids are going to be nailed by cars before drivers start slowing down and paying attention. You do not own the road. Look out for crosswalks and slow down so that you can see pedestrians no matter what the traffic or weather or lighting situation. I am glad that this pedestrian survived. Too many have been killed in Mountain View in recent years.

And why does the newspaper identify the age and residence of the victim, but does not disclose anything about the driver? Does the driver live or work near that location? Why were they confused by the crosswalk?

Bet you dollar to doughnuts this one turns out not to be about excessive speed, but about looking at a cell phone instead of the road.

As I drive around I see so many of you looking at your devices instead of what you're supposed to be looking at.

You don't even turn your heads to change lanes anymore.

Is it any wonder there are so many accidents.

It's irritating when bicyclists cross the crosswalk and expect cars to stop. Bicyclists are not considered pedestrians and should know that cars are not supposed to stop. If they want cars to stop, they should walk their bikes.

The intersection of Villa and Shoreline is actually quite dangerous, even with the light. I walk around town a lot (usually with a double stroller w/ two kids) and we've had 2 close calls at that intersection. Now, I don't even step into the street there, even when I have the light until I'm 100% certain oncoming cars see us and stop. Cars turning left from Villa onto Shoreline (going South) just don't see pedestrians. Maybe change the lights so the pedestrian "walk" sign isn't on when the left turn sign is on? Will slow everything up, but could help. Or maybe one of those lights they have in Europe where all cars stop and all pedestrians go (can cross diagonal too since all cars are stopped)? Something should be changed there....

@Peter There's nothing in this article or in the comments for that matter to indicate that a bicycle was involved in this collision. So please don't drag bikes into the discussion.

I agree with Janet. Don't blame the victim, especially when the police are blaming the driver. Don't try to change the subject, either.

It would be helpful to know if the injured person was walking their bike in the crosswalk or riding their bike? It is called a crosswalk for a reason, bikers riding in it should be illegal and it is certainly risky to say the least. Especially on that stretch of road where no one stops anyway.

Does anyone know under the exact letter of the law that the crosswalk protects, bikers, skate boarders, roller bladers in a crosswalk?

It seems to me a biker can not have it both ways, expect rights of the road and at the same time use a crosswalk.

I will continue my rant, we all know Shoreline is dangerous, everybody speeds on that road. Another dangerous spot is Moffett and Central Expressway. All the bicyclist cross there illegally to get to train station. they bunch up there, cut in front of pedestrians and stop vehicles from making right turns onto traffic. I predict an accident there real soon.

Finally, I am and avid cyclist, and just like everywhere else their is always a select few who ruin it for everybody.

Not an excuse, but the sun is harsh at that time for southbound travelers. And sometimes people decide to cross on the side without the pedestrian crosswalk, which is just asking for trouble for people turning left against the sun.

Don't blame the victim. If the sun makes it hard for you to see, then slow down and so you have more time to observe your surroundings. The article says the victim was in a crosswalk, so don't accuse him of jaywalking.

Bike's are permitted to use sidewalks in Mountain View in all areas except the Central Business district, (along Castro).

As an experienced cyclist I encourage riders to use the road but fully understand that not everyone feels safe on the streets, esp where there are no bike lanes and inexperienced riders like young kids are at risk.

All in all, I think it's better that they ride and stay safe, even at the risk of irritating a few grumpy old men - they will always find something to be irritated about anyway :)

The Schools are providing bike and ped safety training to all their students through a government funded VERBs program but here's hoping that parents take the lead, as there is no greater risk to them than traffic.

Bikes? Why not talk about airplanes or donkey carts? Either one is equally as relevant as talking about bikes in this instance.

We have a _CAR_ who's driver was not paying attention and then hit a _PEDESTRIAN_. Stay focused and enjoy the discussions on how we can continue to put pressure on these dangerous drivers.
The mass ticketing is great. Keep it up.

There was no bike! Save your bike hatred for a relevant article.

I blame the MTV video games.

Crosswalks that aren't protected by lights or some sort of flashing apparatus should be illegal on roadways that have 3 lanes in each direction. It's not a safe situation for anyone...particularly at night. It's hard for drivers to have peripheral vision to cover that wide a range, especially when the person crossing is sometimes hidden by trees in the median (or darkness after sunset)

I agree with you difficult, crosswalks should be illegal. Crosswalks = suicide, no need for a train. I've seen pedestrians walk into a crosswalk without even looking to see if a car would stop, looking at their cell phone of course.

I put blame on both of the involved parties.

A 17 yr old should know by now how to navigate the streets. Basic law of physics, a body in motion will remain in motion until something affects it. So if the driver does not press on the brakes, then guess what, you best get the hell out of the way, because the driver does not see you or is wanting to hit you.

I would check both of these peoples phone records at around 7:47am.

The accident was actually at the crosswalk without lights on Dana and Shoreline, not at the crossing with lights on Villa and Shoreline as one reader posted.

I completely agree with "Difficult" that these crosswalks should be illegal and I would urge the City to either install lights or remove the crosswalks entirely to prevent any further accidents.

I blame both partys here. I have seen drivers not paying attention but looking at their cell phones or even still txting. Then I've seen the rudest people step right into the crosswalk without even bothering to look if a car is allready there. let alone seeing what the speed of the car might be. They assume that every car can slam on the brakes in time no matter what speed they are going. Having an attitude that you won't hit them ever, no matter if they have just stepped right in front of your car with out so much of a look "Both Ways"
[Portion removed due to disrespectful comment or offensive language]

Don't remove the crosswalk because drivers don't respect it. Make the drivers respect it. Lower the speed limit. Narrow the traffic lanes. Put up more stop lights. Pedestrians have every right to cross the street safely. I put zero blame on the pedestrian. Maybe some blame goes to the traffic engineers. 90% of the blame goes to the incompetent car driver who should lose his or her license.

Here is a novel idea: for your own safety, do not walk in front of moving vehicles!

This is a serious issue and the police department is treating it as such. They do patrol the area, and are well aware of the problems. I received a ticket recently when I was driving north on Shoreline near California. Drove across the crosswalk just as a pedestrian was entering it. I figured I could get across well before the pedestrian got near me. The police officer told me that if a pedestrian is about to cross and your car is more than 200 feet from the crosswalk, you must stop. This rule makes less intuitive sense on a wide street like Shoreline. I agree with other writers that different solutions should be considered for this area to ensure the safety of pedestrians and to make it sensible for drivers.

Just pay attention. Drivers have tunnel vision. They do not scan the roadway like they should. Please read your DMV manual. State Law states drivers must yield to all "pedestrians" within a crosswalk. I agree Shoreline is a very busy and well traveled roadway. Which means..if it is busy, slow down, pay attention, and watch for people, cars and bicyclists. The speed limit is 35 mph but I always see vehicles driving in excess of 50 mph.

I do not disagree in any way with "Common Sense, a resident of the Shoreline West".

His admonition "Just pay attention" applies as well to the pedestrian. If the driver fails, the rest is up to you, your life, your choice.

Pay attention is the operative phrase for everybody! Don't make me use caps.

Can't believe so many people are blaming the victim. In most cases, there is not much that a pedestrian can do when crossing streets like this. In the time a pedestrian takes to the street, a car can travel three full blocks or more. Even an extremely alert pedestrian is not going to be able to get out of the way of drivers that are not paying attention. Even when they do see the pedestrian, too many drivers think they can speed past him instead of waiting a few seconds. They should be charged with attempted murder.

Its been really enlightening to see so many comments that put blame on the pedestrian. I'm amazed that there is such a pervasive attitude that pedestrians are responsible for yielding to cars because they have more to lose. It's clear that this attitude contributes to drivers lapses in attention. The wider a street becomes and the more lanes of traffic are added, the driver naturally feels even more entitled to not pay attention to pedestrians.

We need road design that will give stronger cues to drivers that they need to share the road. Pedestrians present. Kids crossing to go to school.

And we all need to go home and remind our kids and loved ones that being a "dead right" pedestrian in a crosswalk still means you're dead.

Tracy, you are right but we need more than road design changes. We need stronger laws and more enforcement to protect vulnerable road users from inattentive drivers. As it is now, drivers know they are unlikely to be caught when breaking the law, and even when they get caught they can easily get off with only a slap on the hand so they don't have much motivation to drive safely.

Don't get me started on all the people who run the lights. Sometimes 4-5 people all run full on red lights. It's epidemic. People don't stop at stop signs and wait for pedestrians. I've lived in Mountain View for years and it seems to have become an issue in the last two years. People just don't care and drive like they are out in the planned community suburbs where there aren't any pedestrians.

Laws of physics always trump local law. Laws of natural selection do too. But by all means, assert your California given rights as a pedestrian. Feel free to step off any curb at any time, no need to look. The MVPD will guaranty your safety.

hahahhahaaha Nicely said Steve! I totally agree.

(Post removed. Please do not attack other posters .)

For the reading challenged who were not at the scene. Do you know where the pedestrian was when hit? It could have been clear when he entered. The light could have been green with the walk sign on. Did it say the pedestrian didn't look? Does it say there was a bike involved?

Stop blaming the victim and take responsibility for the way you drive.

For these difficult crosswalks we should adopt the solution they use in San Mateo. When a pedestrian enters the crosswalk yellow lights on the street flash on and off for the entire time the person is in the crosswalk.

(Who says nobody ever makes a constructive suggestion?)

LOL@U, your such a moron. Since you enjoy attacking
people, you were the one who probably hit this person in
the cross walk.