by A dashcam captured the moment an SUV narrowly missed a young girl crossing a street in San Mateo, California.
Residents in the Bay Meadows neighborhood are now calling for increased security measures in response.
Jison Hong’s dashcam captured the incident as a family of three was crossing the road as the SUV hit the girl’s scooter, throwing it to the side as the girl fell to the ground.
Ms Hong was waiting for the family to pass when she gave evidence about the near miss.
“If it had been a few seconds later, he could have been seriously injured,” he told KGO. “Still, my heart skips a beat every time I think back to that moment.”
The incident occurred on September 14. The father in the video told KGO that his daughter is fine. The agency also said the driver returned to the intersection and spoke to police.
The driver in the video was reportedly a teenage boy who failed to spot the flashing pedestrian warning. San Mateo PD said the matter is under investigation.
Residents of the area said that this is not the first time such an incident has happened.
“We’ve been emailing, we’ve been talking at city council meetings,” local resident and HOA president Max Partl told KGO. “I think now, this video has finally sparked some real real action.”
Officer Alison Gilmore told the local television station that the department is “monitoring traffic in the area so we can continue to be proactive and make sure the area continues to be safe for residents and pedestrians and other drivers.”
In a statement, City Manager Drew Corbett said, “as a parent, it was especially difficult to watch what happened and this preventable incident should never have happened. “Even though the flashing crosswalk lights were working as designed, this inexperienced driver clearly failed to stop for the toddler in the crosswalk.”
“When this happens, we have to ask why, and as a result we take immediate action to further improve safety at this intersection. Our Council prioritizes the traffic safety of the neighborhood and in response to this incident we are increasing pedestrian visibility and reducing speeds in this area while we continue to consider long-term options that legally require more analysis,” added Mr Corbett in his statement to KGO. “We also need a community-wide approach to improve road safety and everyone, whether you drive, cycle or walk, has a part to play in making sure we keep each other safe.”
He said the city reduced speed in the area by temporarily removing a lane from a section of Franklin Parkway. The incident seen in the video took place at the intersection of Franklin and Baze streets in San Mateo, south of San Francisco.
Mr Orbett said another pedestrian beacon would be added to the crossing to increase visibility and there would be a greater police presence.
The city also recommended, for a second time, that the possibility of adding stop signs to the intersection be reviewed. According to state code, traffic studies are being performed to find out what changes can be made.
“I had made eye contact with the family that was about to cross the road,” Ms Hong said. “Somehow, in slow motion, I saw out of the corner of my eye, this car kind of zooming by.”
“I’m very grateful to the community for their support and to the city government for their quick action on this particular crosswalk, but also hope for permanent improvements to other crosswalks like this one,” the father told KGO.
