In 2014 (the most recent year with published statistics by the California Office of Traffic Safety as of May, 2017), San Francisco County has some serious motorcycle safety awareness statistics:
This puts San Francisco County at 1 of 58 for the OTS ranking which is how cities measure-up to other cities of similar populations.
Every month of our calendar year is full of so many nationally recognized days, weeks, and months that the honorable ones (the Friday before Mother’s Day is National Military Spouse Appreciation Day) get a bit diluted behind the amassment of others (I would like to know how May 3rd became National Lumpy Rug Day – seriously?).
Last month, Assemblyman David Chiu said what I’ve been saying for some time now:
“Speed kills.”
(See my article titled “Speed Kills” in Plaintiff Magazine here)
But I’m sure I’m not the first to say it. The important thing is that Assemblyman Chiu has joined forces with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, the City and County of San Francisco, the City and County of San Jose, Walk San Francisco, and other officials and organizations to do something about it!
Last month marked the one-year anniversary of Thu Phan’s tragic death. She was killed while crossing Market Street at 7th in her wheelchair. A ban on left turns onto Market Street had already been implemented to help mitigate the dangers of the intersection with an exemption covering City vehicles under certain duties.
In December, we saw a terrible tragedy close to my San Francisco Office – the Oakland Warehouse Fire. In fact it is being marked as the deadliest building fire in California since 1906 which happened during the San Francisco Earthquake. 36 lives were lost in Oakland during the fire and on Saturday, March 4th the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau confirmed all of 36 deaths as caused by smoke inhalation.
Prevention
We all like to talk about it: how to avoid the most common collisions on your bicycle, adding bicycle lanes, lights on bikes for visibility, law and regulation advocacy to prevent injuries… but all of these conversations come in the wake of something we don’t like to talk about – the catastrophic injury.
There is no doubt the adrenaline is going to be pumping through your system at full speed if you or a loved one is bit by a dog, but knowing what to do when a dog bite happens before the attack might help you find the clarity you need to better protect yourself.
The lawyers at Rahman Law are committed advocates of pedestrian rights, which means we represent pedestrians who have been hit by cars in California, particularly in urban areas on the central coast like San Francisco. But you don’t have to be in an urban area to find yourself the victim in need of a pedestrian accident lawyer.
If you’ve been injured while on a bicycle, you want a bicycle accident attorney who rides, too. We’ve spent over a decade representing cyclists and motorcyclists who’ve been injured. It’s simple, really. In my office, we ride, so we know what it’s like out there and we know how to tackle issues that are unique to two-wheeled collisions.
In New York, smart street design helped the city have its safety and its speed, too.
A great article on Mother Jones about “level of service” and how California is a state that is leading the charge against it. “Level of Service” is the argument against implementing bike lanes for fear that less road space for cars will cause more traffic and delays.
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