The Associated-Press style guide says do not call traffic collisions "accidents" if there is any chance that one party was negligent. This article says "accident" 10 different times. Excusing negligent collisions as "accidents" is part of the problem.

The pedestrian injury increase rate is an alarming trend but does not surprise me. I have been a resident in Mountain View for only 16 years but have experienced a general increase over that time in vehicle driver aggressiveness towards pedestrians on crossings and a general lapse in adherence to rules for stop signs, right turns on Red, and general right or left turns. Sadly everybody seems to want to get where they are going quicker but sadly without regard for pedestrian or cyclist safety.

Might it be that bicycle accident numbers have increased because bicycle activity has increased? A more interesting number than total accidents would be accidents per mile ridden though I imagine that there are no estimates on number of bicycle miles ridden.

We knew this was coming...just needed enough time to pass to collect the data.
Anyone who spends time on local roads should not be surprised by this.

Saw this in the news today - a professional car driver explains why pedestrians should expect car drivers to run red lights even when the pedestrian crossing light is on for them: Web Link

The above link clearly shows why something needs to be done about these drivers. Amazing. Legislation please!

It's been my experience most pedestrians feel empowered. Rarely do they pay attention to the dont walk sign. I can't tell you how many times I've seen pedestrians enter a crosswalk without even looking right or left.

My biggest peeve is mothers with children in tow. While holding hands with one the others will be yards ahead make it to the crosswalk first and attempt to cross against the light.

Pedestrians need to take responsibility. It's not always the driver's fault.

Don't get angry. When you're in charge of a rapidly accelerating 2 ton machine, you have the moral obligation to watch out for others; even the one's you find irritating. You understand that you don't have the right of way, right? Entitlement can creep in and sometimes make you feel like you SHOULD have the right of way, but you don't. Please be careful when you drive your car and I'll continue look both ways as I always have.

I have been noticing that 1) drivers are speeding in the DT area and 2) a great many pedestrians and cyclists wear dark clothing .. and do not have adequate lighting .. I am happy to share the roads but I cannot see you

Ultimately people are not perfect, you can lay the blame on the city council for squeezing 10 pounds of poop into a 5-pound bag.

@ resident of Old Mountain View, I agree, the Voice, among others, needs to stop using the misnomer "accidents" and use the more accurate term "unintentional injuries." Like you, I made this exact same suggestion at least 10 years ago to a Voice reporter at a public forum and the reply was something about that's what most people still say. Duh! Here's something I found online:

Fifty years ago, these occurrences were referred to as accidents – events that were “inevitable, random, and unavoidable.” But with advancements in the science of injury, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) public health experts know these events are preventable. Now replacing the word “accident” with the phrase “unintentional injuries,” the experts also understand that prevention depends on changing the public attitudes and behaviors that impact injury and fatality rates.

This article fails to mention that the “accident” they bring up at El Monte/Marich was due to a pedestrian darting across the street during the pre-dawn hours wearing dark clothing. Let’s be very clear that the car was not at fault in this particular circumstance and the court agreed.

With increasing population, cyclists, and cars in Mountain View, while not much new roads and public transportation, this kind of accidents are expected to increase. This is the law of nature.

No one is shocked by this. Those of us who have lived here long enough know it’s been getting progessively worse and all our efforts and complaints go unheeded.
It’s absolutely absurd to me that someon dies on Google land by a Google bus and in TWO WEEKS they get a traffic signal at the accident site, yet we’ve been here for 18 years and just now we’re getting a left hand turn signal at a very busy intersection at the middle school.
Kind of answers the question about who is worthless (residents) and who is worthwhile (Google, tech companies and employees).

And who the hell cares what the speed limits are set at when no one enforces them and everyone drives at least 20 miles per hour OVER the limits?

Looks like Sylvan Park Neighborhood (Sylvan Ave) not even on the map, the East Berlin of Mountain View.

I am reduced to doing jumping jack and shouting at the drivers turning right without so much as a glance at the pedestrians in order not to get run over.

Most drivers look to their left to avoid hitting another car. A pedestrian to their right is very much an afterthought.

One hopes that a day will come when some of Mountain View finest will get out of their Police cars, take a walk down Castro and give out some tickets.

We complained about Google buses on Sylvan as they are way over the 5 ton limit allowed on Sylvan Ave, we were told there is nothing the City can do as they are not trucks (??). They don't even stop on Sylvan so essentially are using the neighborhood as a short cut.

When the number of auto drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists increase dramatically due to Google taking over and hiring a gazillion new employees who drive, walk, and bike, what do you expect?

A small, narrow valley bordered by mountains, a bay, and an ocean tries to become a megalopolis and people are surprised by the increase traffic, collisions, and pedestrian injuries?

You said "Yes" to Google taking over, this is one of the consequences.

About an hour ago (5pm Monday) tried to turn right onto Sylvan (directly across from the park), a pedestrian stood at edge of crosswalk trying to cross as traffic sped by. As I was stopped waiting for her to cross, I kept waving my hand out the window to oncoming cars in a 'slow down' motion, then added my horn to the mix, FINALLY, cars in both directions stopped to allow her to cross. We are hoping the long awaited (will be 2 years) traffic calming measures result in slower traffic. Sylvan is basically a runway onto 237 or to El Camino. Pedestrians were hit in the crosswalk during the past few years. As far as I know not deaths...yet.

@Frank - I did not say yes to Google taking over, neither did I say yes to Prometheus, Sobrato and other billionaire developers paving over every square inch of MV with luxury apartments (which BTW are not affordable housing), also did not say yes to corporate offices on Castro Street, but all of that is happening whether we like it or not.

I've called MVPD many times to report vehicles blocking crosswalks and disabled ramps. I take pictures even. I've filed complaints. The few times an officer comes out, they will not ticket. One, an officer Wong, even asked me if I was able to safely cross the street. I responded, no, not safely, that's why I called. He still refused to ticket the car. As long as situations like this persist, the problems will only get worse. If MVPD refuses to do their job and enforce the law when they respond to calls, why are they being paid for the duty time they just wasted?

Nearly all of these "accidents" should be called "stupids", because the causative agent is behaving stupidly. Electronic gadgets are undoubtedly a major contributor. Don't need more legislation or regulation, as enforcement is terribly weak. It is really at the level of each individual to not behave stupidly. That is the real elephant in the room.

Pedestrians rarely, ever look before stepping into the streets. They feel empowered. That they feel comfortable walking and crossing streets is great. But they still need to keep safety in mind. Most pedestrians are too trusting that drivers are paying attention and not looking at phones, or kids in the back seat or distracted by oncoming or merging traffic. Then there are the drivers who are driving fast, or not stopping at right turns. It happens to everyone I'm sure. And finally, I see so many pedestrians wearing dark clothing while walking at night. So, there are many, many contributions to these data points. I'm hoping some of them can be addressed, probably with a solid marketing campaign (hey, I'm kind of a marketing guy).

Duh?!! Walking/biking and talking/texting on cells phones, not watching where they go. The City of MV will come up with just about any phony excuse to spend more money and crowd the city of MV even more, and not face the facts--people are ignorantly hooked on their stupid devices and causing their own accidents .... Everything is about revenue when it comes to decisions made by the kooks in city council... STEALING taxpayers money... Wait until a gazillion stoned potheads get on the crowded roads....hang on tight people!!

An elderly lady was nearly mown down crossing on Sylvan today. Sadly we will have to wait for a fatality before anything more than superficial measures are taken.

This problem isn't unique to MTV, but it is a real problem. Drivers in the bay area stopped respecting pedestrians, at all. They see someone trying to cross and they don't care. It's like the car culture just decided that the only way it might stop for pedestrians is if one is in the middle of the road. Even then, I saw a guy narrowly miss plowing down an entire family because he couldn't be bothered to stop -- he slowed from 40 to maybe 30 and timed it just right so that he would barely clear the family (with a baby) in the crosswalk. If they had a problem and stopped walking, he would have slammed into them. MTV: spend some money, put flashing lights at every crosswalk, add speed bumps. Cars can go fast on 280, not in our neighborhoods.

Seems drivers want to do anything to avoid simply depressing the brake pedal 1/2 and inch. When lined up to take their turn,they pretend to "flash-stop" then roll through stop signs pretending not to see the pedestrian trying to get across. Every damn day!

In the relatively recent past (a few years) the MV Police Department had an enhanced presence/enforcement policy for the problem of scofflaws that ignored the crosswalk Traffic LAWS near school crosswalks. At the time, I chatted with a motorcycle officer who had been in front of Castro Elementary for over a week, and he said drivers WERE STILL failing to stop for families within crosswalks!

The Police Department works under the direction of the City Manager. The Police Chief works with a salary that is approved/paid by the City Council as does the City Manager. Enforcement of traffic LAWS is a responsibility of City Government: and I believe that our MV City Council is elected. PUSH ON THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS for better enforcement. Make it a pain-in-the-ass for them to ignore this issue. Write / email / public comment at Council Meetings.

the price of not getting run-over is "eternal vigilance"

No surprize that there are traffic problems. The City has become corrupt, selling building permits to whoever will pay the price, with NO concern for infrastructure or environmental impact.

“Traffic calming” and overbuilding has only resulted in a five minute drive becoming a half hour or more drive. Major thorofares have been blocked, there’s no way to get from certain areas of Mountain View without crossing Castro street or driving miles out of the way. City planning is ridiculous and citizens are paying for it. There SHOULD NOT BE ANY PEDESTRIAN CROSSING CASTRO STREET AROUND EVELYN! Pedestrians cross without noticing the giant back up of cars trying to get across the tracks before the train.

We are at a crisis point, but instead of addressing concerns, the city representatives are joy riding and out to lunch.

Once they close Castro Street the Evelyn pedestrian crossing becomes an instant non-issue.

I've already accepted that drivers won't stop at stop signs. I anticipate their movement more than they anticipate mine as a pedestrian. That being said, can I at least ask that you wait for me to clear the crosswalk when I'm crossing the street with a stroller and child? How does turning a few feet behind me save you any time at all? Plus, you look like a total jerk when you're doing it. I will yell at you.

The situation is dire. I'm seriously considering no longer walking my kids the 10 mins to preschool, because of the number of times we've been cut off. There is no reason people shouldn't see us. Some people actually see us (I make eye contact with them) and they don't care anyway.

I'm extremely vigilant and all the pedestrians I see on the street are as well. I've had many of conversations with my fellow pedestrians about it when I'm waiting at crosswalks.

Also have contacted MVPD a couple times about situations, but they never come out. What does it take to get a traffic ticket around here?

Push that stick out there before you cross, maybe down on the hood if you need to protect yourself from these idiots who won't stop when you are crossing with the right of way. Assault with a deadly weapon is what it's called when someone comes at you with their car. Cops get to kill people who come at them with their cars... they LITERALLY kill the driver and they do it frequently!

The cops have not a thing to make a difference in protecting the pedestrians. Defend yourself, defend your rights. Walk slowly and carry a BIG gnarly walking stick.

NBC national news had a story about people on their phones tonight. It showed clips of people running into things, even cars in the road while viewing their phone. The story suggested proposing a law with fines for anyone in a crosswalk who is using a cellphone.

Cool on the smart phone laws that may one day happen maybe, but will that make cars stop completely at stop signs? Will it stop them from rolling right turns and hitting peds?
When will THAT experience happen, you know, when they yield the right of way as I stand on the corner EACH NIGHT? We have CURRENT laws regarding that issue that need rigorous enforcement, but no cops willing to do it. Stick time.

There is plenty of stupidity on both sides of this issue. To assume one side is 100% responsible is being willfully ignorant of what is going on.

Drivers are terrible. They don't stop at lights or signs, roll corners without the required complete stop, enter intersections as people are crossing, etc. There are plenty of laws about all this, but nobody is enforcing it, mainly because there are so many people doing it.

Pedestrians are just as bad. They don't pay attention as they walk with their noses in their phones. They don't look when they cross. They jay-walk (even on El Camino, which I see EVERY day) when there is a crosswalk nearby. They cross against the lights and after their time has run out. They wear dark clothing at night. Some even run into the street while taking meth (like the woman who was killed on El Monte). There laws about much of this, but nobody enforces those laws either.

We should all have a lot more consideration for those around us. It is not only illegal to do this stuff, it is just plain rude. However, if we are going to have laws, then they need to be enforced. If we aren't going to bother with enforcement, then those laws need to be stricken. Laws that aren't enforced are useless. Their very presence doesn't make anybody follow them.

Either crack down on enforcement or stop complaining about how bad it is out there.

It's absolutely disgusting that you're on here libelling a dead woman. Be a less horrible person.

Why aren't there any blinking warning lights on Castro Street crosswalks ?

Pedestrians wear dark clothing...those restaurant plants/planters hide pedestrians at certain angles...and poorly aimed headlights from oncoming traffic blind drivers.

Those crosswalks on Castro need to GO. Why are they even there? Are people unable to walk the 100 yds to the intersection where there are traffic lights? The over abundance/overuse of crosswalks is one of the reasons why thee have been more injuries......these crosswalks are confusing, in the wrong places and absolutely unnecessary.

The one near El Monte and Marich is a prime example. If you’re southbound on El Camino and turn right on ark Monte, why EVER would you expect there to be a crosswalk just another 50 ft in from the ECR intersection? It’s insane to have one there!

mvresident2003, why don't you take some personal responsibility when operating a multiton piece of machinery? Quit blaming everyone else.

It may be shocking to those trying to shift blame to the road users who have the legal right of way, but someone being on their cell phone has no ability whatsoever to control my car and they never once have impeded my ability to use my break and let them go first, as is the law.
Seems some use it as an excuse to shift blame away from those who are breaking the laws.

People must accept responsibility to be aware of their surroundings. Perhaps prohibiting ear plugs on sidewalks will help. Many times I have seen people engrossed in their pdas and oblivious to their surroundings.
Other than that, police enforcement of the existing traffic laws would help.
Or post the traffic failures (rolling stops, failures to yield, etc.) on youtube or the news program "People Behaving Badly"!
Good luck and stay safe.

Wow, the comments pretty much explain why we have such a problem when we have so many entitled sociopaths in cars. It's called the law, and it applies to you even if you happen to be driving a car unlike us plebs who happen to be walking (and have the right of way).

I agree. The comments from self-entitled car drivers blaming the victims is very disturbing. The majority of pedestrian fatalities in Mountain View (and in the Bay Area in general) are older adults who are being as careful as they can. They were not staring at their phones when they got run over. On average, older people do take longer to cross the street and are not as maneuverable as millenials, so car drivers need to slow down and pay attention. Come to a complete 3-second-stop at all stop signs to give yourself time to check all the crosswalks before proceeding. Same goes for right-turn-on-red. Red-light-running and stop-sign-running in this city is way out of hand.

Almost every time someone runs the red light at Rengstorff / Jewel (a lot), they usually have an Uber/Lyft tag on their windshield.

I can’t wait for Waymo to improve safety.

I've watched some pedestrians step into a cross walk too close to an on-coming car
Even worse, late evening with dark clothes
Suggestions: The cross walk does not offer magical protection from cars
In the evening or night, it is hard to see you (need lite or reflector)
Stay safe!

Will the roads be safer if cars slow down and use the brake pedal, always yielding the right of way to pedestrians, of or pedestrins were totally phone less.
The overwhelmingly correct answer is the first one, but some will want to try and create some issue to shift focus from the MAIN problem on the road: Speeding, stop sign rolling, non stopping drivers who simply must get ahead of that other driver.

If the cell phone using peds are the problem, what to do about those selfish blind people walking blindly into an intersection. Are they an ever an excuse for not stopping your car? NO! Be alert, use your brake, let the other guy pass you.

To @mvresident2003 whatever are you talking about? I'm actually an incredibly conscientious driver. I actually come to a complete stop well before a crossing/stop sign to ensure anyone coming has opportunity with confidence to go. I wave people in front and ahead of me to give them more confidence that yes, I see you and yes, please do go. When possible I move into another lane when I come upon a cyclist and if I can't I either slow and wait or move to give them their 3ft of safe space.

I have no desire to hit or maim or cause any pedestrians/cyclists harm....funny story but I'm actually a pedestrian/cyclist too GASP!

But that doesn't mean I need to support ridiculous crossings. In some places they just don't make common sense and why can't we question that and realize that there just may be places for improvement. And I also don't excuse people who don't take the same cautions and common sense approaches that need to be taken.

Equal culpability.

I agree with mvresident2003. The crosswalks on Castro are incredibly dangerous. I almost hit someone who was running across one of the inter-block crosswalks even though I was only going 20. The inter-block crosswalks are a problem because many of the businesses have trees/plants along the sidewalk, or the street itself that make it impossible to see anyone until they are 3 feet from the street or stepping into the street. The person I almost hit ran across from the opposite side as I was glancing to my right to check for pedestrians entering from the side I was driving on. If someone is running rather than walking across, you literally have ZERO time to stop your car no matter how fast you are going.

The way I see it, there are two major reasons for the increase in incidents:

1) People walking/riding/driving while using handheld phones or devices.

I don't understand why people just can't put their phones away until they get to wherever they're going! In my opinion, anyone who was looking at or using a handheld device during a collision should automatically be found at fault whether they are a pedestrian, biker or driver.

2) People not following the rules of the road

This includes pedestrians and cyclists as well as cars.

I have seen that in downtown, pedestrians and cyclists frequently ignore walk/don't walk lights and stop signs (cyclists and autos).

Do pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way? Yes they do! Will that stop a 2 ton automobile if you suddenly walk right in front of it while crossing against a don't walk signal? Nope! Cars take time to stop and drivers won't always assume that they have to stop for a green light just in case you decide to do something stupid.

If you're driving, make sure you're checking for pedestrians, instead of checking your phone. Completely stop for all stop signs and red lights.

If you're on a bike, YOU TOO need to stop for stop signs and red lights. Being on a bike is not an exemption from the rules of the road. Don't ride against the flow of traffic. Walk bikes on the sidewalk.


If everyone does these things, there will be far fewer collisions.


Jim Neal
Old Mountain View

Yes, turn your phone off when you are driving. Using a phone while driving is more dangerous than DUI. This includes hands-free phone calls. Just turn it off. If you must use navigation, then turn the screen off and just listen to the directions without ever touching the phone.

Regarding Castro Street, all the near misses described in these comments make me hope the city finally does close the street at the Caltrain tracks. There are just too many cars here and half of them are driving while distracted, looking for a parking space or a restaurant or staring at their phone.

@resident, agreed. Castro should be closed off to cars, those crosswalks are just accidents waiting to happen.

And the crosswalk at Marich/El Monte needs to go too. It's just not in a reasonable location. Common sense should tell anyone that.

@@psr

Who is "libeling a dead woman"? Have you not read the facts of that incident as reported in this very paper? Do even know what libel is? The woman was high on meth when she was hit. The driver wasn't charged because he was following the law. She clearly wasn't. Those are facts. You may not like them but they are facts and there is nothing libelous about my stating the truth.

The poor guy that ran into her has to live with people like you blaming him for an accident that was not his fault. Is she somehow absolved from fault because she is dead? Did it occur to you that bad things happen when you break the law?

Maybe YOU should try to be a less horrible person.

Cite your sources instead of posting baseless allegations. And you're trying to turn the perpetrator into the VICTIM of this? Get help.

per is absolutely correct. It has been repeatedly reported and discussed, here is most recent article that states the case was dropped as there wasn't evidence the driver was at fault, rather that the pedestrian was legally responsible for exercising caution when crossing.

Web Link

I would hope that this unfortunate death would result in the removal of this crosswalk as it is 1) in a very bad place for both visibility and for general expectation being so close to the El Camino crossing and 2) it is totally unnecessary.

Sorry, mvresident2003, but all that article states is that they dropped the charges. "We determined that we couldn't prove the defendant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" is far different than "the pedestrian was legally responsible for exercising caution when crossing." On top of that, psr has made some very specific allegations against the woman who was killed, and shows up in that comments section again blaming the poor woman for being killed by a car. psr needs to take a good look in the mirror.

Don't get hung up on the minutia of a single incident(The El Monte fatality). A single data point will never provide any info about anything other than that single instance. Only a fool would use a single data point to try and prove a trend.

"Enough Already," I agree! Yet, it's horrible that psr and mvresident2003 keep showing up in comments sections crying over the poor driver who killed a woman. She was a living, breathing human being, and psr in particular keeps dragging her name through the mud. If these people are going to continue to come in here and defend the driver who killed a woman, someone needs to remind them that she died and push back against these unsubstantiated allegations.

When the same issue keeps getting replayed, you know that's all they have to hang their hat on. Rise above the bottom feeders.
Peace.

As long as two ton cars operate in close proximity to people, injuries and deaths will happen. Complete separation and vigilance will provide some degree of safety.
Good Luck all.

@psr

You are missing the point. If you had read my comment, you would have understood that I feel that EVERYBODY needs to exercise caution. There is fault on both sides and people need to act responsibly. Acting stupid for either side can be deadly. If you don't think getting high on meth and walking into the street in dark clothes at night isn't stupid, maybe you should think again.

Put up or shut up. The fact that you can't substantiate your disgusting allegations and instead continue to libel that poor woman show your true colors.

Put.

The.

Cellphones.

Down.

Jerks.

Food for thought - Streetsblog California article on downsides of laws banning cell phone use by pedestrians in crosswalks:

Web Link

I have noticed recently major jay walking in down town Mountain View. Everyday at least 3 people want to cross the middle of the street while I'm driving. Then if I do look down for a minute people don't double check to see that I'm not going to go and walk in front of my car.
So....dangerous let's help each other out here. If a person doesn't see you don't assume they are going to stop.

Why on Earth are you "look[ing] down for a minute" while operating a deadly machine? Will the entitlement of car drivers never end?

@psr

Why don't your try reading the back issue of the Voice where it was reported that the victim of that accident had a high concentration of meth in her system? Why do you think they dropped the charges against the driver? They dropped the charges because they would never have been able to make the charges stick due to the fact that the victim was legally under the influence of an illegal substance.

I'm sorry you don't like the facts, but they are the facts. I have provided a source and at least one other poster read it and confirmed my data. Do you need your hand held or are you just afraid to admit you are wrong?

I agree that the design of the crosswalks on Castro near Evelyn is very conducive to accidents. These crosswalks should be redesigned before someone gets killed. Get rid of the plants, improve the lighting, or just get the cars off of Castro altogether...

Should be real easy for you to link it then. Why haven't you done that yet?

From Los Altos Town Crier article, dated 4/13/16

Web Link

Snip..

“The collision report indicates that Kawaguchi was not using his cellphone at the time of the accident, and toxicology reports did not detect alcohol or drugs in his body. Toxicology reports revealed the presence of methamphetamines and amphetamines in Montalvo’s system.”

psr said that the woman had "run into the street while taking meth." Which is not supported by that article. If they want to walk that part back, and reduce their claim to having amphetamines in your system be a death sentence, I'd disagree with that position, but that's @psr's prerogative.

Otherwise, it's unsupported and they should stop libelling the poor, dead woman.

You two are really living the dream on a Friday afternoon. Who's big enough to stop posting? "Big" being a relative term considering the behavior previously shown.