City’s Pedestrian Crash Toll Dwarfs Preventative Safety Costs

SFGate, the sister-site of the San Francisco Chronicle, reports on the toll of pedestrian injuires in San Francisco where two to three people are hit by cars every day: 

Two to three people are hit by cars every day on San Francisco's dangerously motorized streets, and researchers are beginning to paint a clearer picture of the economic toll. The more than 800 pedestrian crashes a year are racking up a $76 million bill for injuries, reports the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), and advocates say it's imperative the city invest in preventative measures.........

The statistics shed light on the staggering financial toll disproportionately born by the city’s youngest, oldest, poorest, and disabled residents, who suffer the most severe injuries with the greatest frequency. On average, the price of admitting an injured pedestrian to the hospital is nearly $80,000, said Lopez, and 76 percent of that is paid for with public funds. The DPH also estimates at least 20 percent of pedestrian crashes go unreported to the police........