KEVIN: THE STATE OFFICE OF
TRAFFIC SAFETY DID A STUDY OF
PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE CRASHES AND
FOUND THAT THE NUMBERS ARE GOING
UP.
AND THE REASONS FOR THE
ACCIDENTS MAY NOT BE WHAT YOU
THIN
SONYA LOVINE IS DOING SOMETHING
SHE WOULD NEVER HAVE CONSIDERED
A FEW YEARS AGO.
SHE'S WEARING A BIKE HELMET.
>> I REALLY DIDN'T THINK ALL
THAT MUCH ABOUT BIKE SAFETY
BEFORE HAND.
I JUST GOT OUT THERE AND RODE
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE
SUPPOSED TO DO.
KEVIN BUT NOW SHE THINKS ABOUT
: IT CONSTANTLY.
ALL BECAUSE OF ONE BIKE RIDE.
SONYA WAS ON HER WAY HOME FROM
WORK AT SAC STATE IN 2012.
>> RIGHT AT THE CORNER OF
FEATURE AND HOWE AVENUE, I WAS
WAITING FOR MY GREEN LIGHT AT
THE CROSSWALK.
CARS WERE STUCK IN THE
INTERSECTION BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T
CLEAR THEIR GREEN LIGHT ON HOWE
AVENUE.
KEVIN SO SONYA DECIDED TO GO
: AHEAD AND CROSS ANYWAY.
GOING THROUGH THE CROSSWALK,
MOVING BETWEEN THE STOPPED CARS.
SHE SAYS A WOMAN TEXTING IN HER
CAR DIDN'T LOOK UP AND
ACCELERATED INTO THE CROSSWALK.
>> FROM THERE, I JUST REMEMBER
TAKING A TRUE GYMNASTICS TUMBLE
BASICALLY LANDED ON THE HOOD OF
, HER CAR, BOUNCED OFF, BACK
ONTO THE PAVEMENT AND THEN IT
-- ONTO THE PAVEMENT.
KEVIN: THE CRASH LEFT HER WITH
AN INJURED COLLAR BONE,
SHOULDER, SPRAINED ANKLE AND A
CONCUSSION.
SHE'S JUST ONE OF A GROWING
NUMBER OF BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN
CRASH VICTIMS OVER THE PAST 5
YEARS.
AND IT'S NOT HAPPENING WHERE
YOU'D EXPECT
JIM BROWN WITH SACRAMENTO AREA
BICYCLE ADVOCATES SAY THIS
INTERSECTION HAS ONE OF THE
HOTSPOTS.
JI BROWN: STOCKTON BOULEVARD
USED TO BE HIGHWAY 99 AND SO
IT'S IT'S CONFIGURED LIKE AN OLD
STATE HIGHWAY AND IT REALLY
STILL FUNCTIONS A LOT LIKE THAT.
IT'S ABOUT AS WID
>> SOMETIMES FOLKS HAVE TO
JAYWALK AND THAT IS WHEN THEY
ARE MOST VULNERABLE.
KEVIN THE PROGRAM STRIVES TO
: BRING THE NUMBER OF FATAL
ACCIDENTS AS CLOSE TO ZERO AS
POSSIBLE BY LOWERING SPEED
LIMITS, ADDING PEDESTRIAN SAFE
ISLANDS AND BETTER BIKE LANES
THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND COUNTY
>> ACROSS CALIFORNIA THE NUMBER
OF PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLE
FATALITIES AND INJURIES HAS BEEN
GOING UP FOR ABOUT THE LAST 3 OR
FOUR YEARS TO AN ALARMING RATE
KEVIN: CHRIS COCHRAN IS WITH THE
STATE OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY.
>> CALIFORNIA, WE'RE SEEING
ABOUT 3% INCREASE, WHICH IS
CERTAINLY BETTER THAN NATIONAL.
BUT ANY INCREASE IS NOT GOOD.
KEVIN: AND MOST THE HOTSPOTS ARE
SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY,
NOT NECESSARILY NEAR DOWNTOWN,
ACCORDING TO KUMAR AND BROWN.
THE WORST INTERSECTIONS FOR
BIKERS AND WALKERS.
THAT INTERSECTION AT STOCKTON
AND FRUITRIDGE AS WELL AS 65TH
STREET AND FRUITRIDGE BOULEVARD
BROADWAY AND MARTIN LUTHER KING
BOULEVARD
WATT AVENUE AND ARDEN WAY
AND 47TH AND FRANKLIN BOULEVARD
>> A LOT OF THE FATAL COLLISIONS
THAT WE'RE SEEING IN SACRAMENTO.
AND REALLY STATEWIDE ARE
HAPPENING NOT IN OUR KIND OF
TRAFFI
KEVIN: KCRA 3 INVESTIGATES
LOOKED AT THE NUMBER OF
FATALITIES FOR BICYCLISTS AND
PEDESTRIANS OVER THE LAST 5
YEARS.
IN 39 PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS
2011, WERE KILLED.
IN 2012, 33.
IN 2013, 48.
IN 2014, 38.
AND IN 2015 44 FATALITIES.
THAT SAME DATA SHOWS THAT THE
WORST TIME OF DAY FOR
PEDESTRIANS IS DURING THE
EVENING RUSH HOUR, FROM 5:00
P.M. THROUGH 7:00 P.M.
FOR BICYCLISTS, FROM 2:00 P.M.
TO 5:00 P.M.
KCRA 3 INVESTIGATES WENT TO ALL
THOSE HOT-SPOT LOCATIONS AND
FOUND DISTRACTED DRIVERS
>> WE DID A RESEARCH HERE IN THE
SACRAMENTO AREA A FEW MONTHS AGO
AND FOUND THAT 40% OF THE
PEDESTRIANS WALKING DOWN THE
SIDEWALK ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING
DOWN AT THEIR PHONE.
KEVIN AND IT'S NOT JUST WALKING
: DOWN THE SIDEWALK.
COCHRAN SAYS PEOPLE JAYWALKING
OR WALKING BETWEEN PARKED CARS,
ON THE PHONE, NOT PAYING
ATTENTION TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC IS
ANOTHER PROBLEM.
YET WALK SACRAMENTO SAYS THAT'S
NOT NEAR AS DANGEROUS AS, SAY, A
DRIVER ON THEIR PHONE.
>> WE DO PUSH BACK A LITTLE BIT
ON THAT BECAUSE OF DISTRACTED
DRIVER REALLY ISN'T THE SAME AS
A DISTRACTED PEDESTRIAN SURE THE
PEDESTRIAN MAY DO SOMETHING
STUPID AND STEP OUT INTO TRAFFIC
LANE.
BUT IT DISTRACTED DRIVER.
-- BUT A DISTRACTED DRIVER CAN
KILL YOU RIGHT?
KEVIN: EVER SINCE HER ACCIDENT,
SONYA LOVINE SAYS SHE'S
CAMPAIGNING TO MAKE THE ROADS
SAFER.
>> IT KINDA SOUNDS CHEESY, BUT
WE ALL DO NEED TO GET ALONG OUT
THERE.
JUST FOR THE SAFETY OF
EVERYBODY.
KEVIN: THE OFFICE OF TRAFFIC
SAFETY POINTS OUT THE ECONOMY
AND LOWER GAS PRICES HAVE MADE
IT MORE AFFORDABLE TO DRIVE AND
REDUCING SOMEWHAT THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE ON BIKES OR WALKING.
BUT THEY SAY AS THE DAYS GET
LONGER AND TEMPERATURES WARM UP
THOSE NUMBERS MIGHT START TO
CLIMB.