On Sunday, October 15, around 10 p.m., when Sergio Díaz was walking back to his home in Santa Ana, he was run over while trying to cross the street, while the driver who hit him with his car escaped from the scene.
Due to his injuries, Sergio died at the place where he was hit, at the intersection of Warner Avenue and Brookhollow Drive. He was just 32 years old.
Authorities considered the speed of the vehicle that hit him to be a factor in the incident.
“I was walking home from work. Sometimes his friends and co-workers would visit the house. Our car had been having technical problems with the battery for about a week and would not start,” said Kimberly Noceloti on the GoFundMe website where they are carrying out a campaign to raise funds for Sergio’s unexpected funeral expenses.
If you can help them, visit the page: Sergio Díaz.
Hit-and-run accidents are an everyday occurrence in cities like Los Angeles.
According to the organization Streets are for Everyone-SAFE (Streets are for everyone) the average between 2018 and 2022, pedestrians and cyclists are hit at an average of 2.9 per 100,000 individuals.
A rate significantly higher than the national average of 2.2 per capita.
Damian Kevitt, executive director of SAFE, wrote in his article Dying on the streets of LA: 2022 traffic fatalities, why and what needs to change published on the SAFE site, 312 traffic deaths were recorded in 22, breaking the 300 mark for the first time in more than 20 years, the highest record on record. An increase of 29% compared to 2020.
In particular in 2022, we had 159 pedestrian deaths; in 2021, 132; and in 2020, 132.
A relevant fact released by SAFE is that homeless people are much more likely to die from being run over.
Between 2018 and 2022, 116.6 homeless people died from traffic violence each year.
What’s behind these numbers?
Kevitt explains that the overwhelming answer is speed.
“Speeding is the primary factor in 34.8% of collisions in Los Angeles, resulting in some degree of injury or death.”
According to the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), other factors that influence crashes are incorrect turns, unsafe lane changes, and only 4.02% are attributed to pedestrian violations.
A big new contributing factor to hit-and-run crashes is distractions from cell phones.
A study by Virginia Tech Transportation and the National Department of Transportation (NHTSA) in April 2006 found that 80% of crashes and 65% of near misses involved driver inattention within three hours. seconds before the event.
Kevitt says what we know for sure is that Angelenos are increasingly driving at high speeds and paying less attention to pedestrians and cyclists.
To prevent traffic deaths on the streets, SAFE recommends that Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles City Council members issue a state of emergency declaration, which would force municipal departments to work together to address this crisis.
“This means staffing LA DOT road safety projects and completing the Vision Zero audit in the coming weeks, not months.”
Another recommendation is to approve legislation that allows limiting automatic speed enforcement on the most dangerous roads, in school zones and in corridors used for street racing.
Just this month of October, National Pedestrian Safety Month is celebrated, so the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and Caltrans ask all Latino/Hispanic Californians to remain alert and respect traffic rules. and exercise caution on the roads to protect the lives of people walking.
California is the state with the highest number of pedestrian deaths, with 25% higher than the national average. The total number of pedestrian deaths has doubled in the last ten years, according to data from the Report on Pedestrian Deaths from Traffic Accidents: 612 victims in 2012 and 1,100 in 2022.
Additionally, the latest UC Berkeley SafeTREC fact sheet on pedestrian safety indicates that half (50.7%) of all pedestrian deaths occurred in the evening hours, between 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
A recent published study of American Journal of Preventive Medicine also reveals that Latino pedestrians experience an 84% higher fatality rate during these nighttime incidents, compared to the rate for non-Hispanic white people.
How not to die from being run over
The United States Department of Transportation (NHTSA) recommends that pedestrians comply with the rules of the road and obey signs, walk on sidewalks, and if there are none, walk facing traffic and as far away as possible.
They advise crossing the street at intersections and looking in all directions before crossing, including those that turn right or left.
If there is no intersection available, suggest locating a lighted area where there is the best view of traffic; Wait for traffic to slow down and allow enough time to cross safely, and continue to watch for traffic while crossing.
Other recommendations are: monitor the entry and exit of cars from the garages; and cars that reverse in parking lots; and avoid alcohol and drugs while walking.
In addition to wearing brightly colored clothing and a flashlight at night; and do not use the cell phone.
The OED and Caltrans recommend that drivers not drive at excessive speed and never use the phone while driving, be alert for pedestrians and yield to them as they have the right of way at any crosswalk or intersection.
If you are driving at night, you should pay attention to your surroundings by backing up and staying alert in construction zones; and when approaching where there are flashing amber lights, they must change to the next lane as soon as it is safe.