Pedestrian-Related Accident Causes

Re “County Rated 17th in State in Deaths of Pedestrians,” Sept. 29.

This article is misleading to the extreme. Instead of just raw numbers, these statistics should list the total number of injured and killed as well as the primary causes of the injuries or fatalities.

The numbers presented leave the uninformed reader with the impression that all pedestrian-related accidents are the fault of the motorist or the engineering design of the roadway.

As a peace officer in Ventura County for the past 20 years with 13 years of accident investigation experience, I have seen a diversity of primary causes of pedestrian-related accidents. The vast majority of these investigations have placed the blame for the accident with the pedestrian, and many of these situations have involved very defensive drivers who had no time to react to the hazard presented to them.

Roadway conditions are a concern in every community, and the relationship between law enforcement and traffic engineering is paramount. Roadway design must offer the best protection to drivers and pedestrians alike.

The best plan for enforcement and roadway design is only as effective as the public’s contribution to the safe use of these avenues of travel. Adults and children each need to have safety in mind, whether legally crossing at an intersection or at another point without traffic control devices.

JEFF MALGREN

Simi Valley