The Chula Vista Police Department kicked off its “Stay Safe Chula Vista” campaign on March 29, alerting drivers and pedestrians to take precautions when sharing the roadway.
The campaign coincides with what the department delcares April being Pedestrian Safety Month, and a response to the increase in reported pedestrian fatalities in Chula Vista.
According to the police department’s figures, Chula Vista had a 125 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities from 2016 to 2017. Last year, there were nine reported pedestrian fatalities, compared to the four fatalities in 2016. In 2014 there were two pedestrain-realted fatal accidents.
Additionally, there have been three pedestrian related fatalities in 2018, a 200 percent increase as Chula Vista has not seen more than one fatality in the first quarter in the last four years.
“Each one of these fatalities is a tragedy for the family, for our officers and for our community,” said Chula Vista Police Capt. Vern Sallee.
Sallee said about 50 percent of the collisions since January 2017 to present day have involved people who were homeless or had mental health issues.
There is not one main reason for the spike in collisions, but Sallee said pedestrians were identified as at fault in seven out of the 9 collisions, indicating a failure to use caution in and around roadways. Distracted driving is also the cause in some fatal pedestrian collisions. There was only one pedestrian-related fatal accident that was DUI related in 2017.
He said pedestrian fatalities have happened on the east and Westside and is not delegated to just one specified area of the city.
