Last August, a 23-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed while in the crosswalk at Hartford and 18th Streets. The driver of the San Francisco Municipal Railway bus that hit the woman has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular homicide in connection with her death.

The bus driver was making a left hand turn onto Hartford Street when the fatal pedestrian accident occurred. The driver had been on the job for only eight months before the crash. It was reported that he didn't even realize he had hit a pedestrian until another person started screaming. The victim had been texting while walking and did not see the bus coming toward her as she crossed the narrow street.

The tragic San Francisco, California pedestrian accident may have been avoidable had the bus driver received proper direction and training from the MUNI Railway system. The driver was not on his normal route and, according to his criminal defense attorney, was not properly advised as to where to travel and how to get there.

San Francisco and California Pedestrian Accident Statistics

According to a study by Transportation for America, San Francisco is among the top 50 most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians. Almost 700 people traveling the streets of San Francisco by foot were killed in a pedestrian accident between 2000 and 2009. California as a whole accounted for nearly 7,000 pedestrian deaths in the same time frame. Approximately 14 percent of the 47,700 fatal pedestrian accidents in the U.S. between 2000 and 2009 happened in California.

Certainly, more work is needed to protect those walking in San Francisco. From better training for all drivers -- including municipal bus drivers as well as individuals behind the wheel -- to better pedestrian-accessible walkways and everything in between, preventable pedestrian deaths should no longer be tolerated.

Source: KTVU.com, "Attorney: MUNI at fault in fatal pedestrian accident," February 9, 2012