A dashcam caught the moment when an SUV barely missed a young girl crossing a street in San Mateo, California.
Residents in the Bay Meadows neighbourhood are now calling for heightened security measures in response.
Jison Hong’s dashcam filmed the incident when a family of three was crossing the street, as the SUV strikes the girl’s scooter, flinging it to the side as the girl falls to the ground.
Ms Hong was waiting for the family to pass when she bore witness to the near-miss.
“If it had been a few seconds later, she could have gotten seriously injured,” she told KGO. “Still, my heart kind of pounds every time I kind of think back to that moment.”
The incident took place on 14 September. The father seen in the video told KGO that his daughter is doing well. The outlet also reported that the driver returned to the intersection and spoke to police.
The driver in the video was reportedly a teenage boy who didn’t spot the flashing pedestrian warning. San Mateo PD said the matter is under investigation.
Residents in the area said this isn’t the first time an incident like this has taken place.
“We’ve been writing emails, we’ve been speaking at city council meetings,” area resident and HOA president Max Partl told KGO. “I think now, this video finally triggered some actual real action.”
Police officer Alison Gilmore told the local TV station that the department is “monitoring the traffic in that area so that we can continue to be proactive and make sure that the area continues to be safe for the residents and pedestrians and other motorists”.
In a statement, City Manager Drew Corbett said, “as a parent, it was especially hard to watch what happened and that preventable incident should never have occurred. Even though the flashing pedestrian beacons worked as designed, this inexperienced driver clearly failed to stop for the young child in the crosswalk”.
“When something like this happens we have to ask why, and as a result we’re taking immediate action to further improve safety at this intersection. Our Council prioritizes neighborhood traffic safety and in response to this incident we’re increasing pedestrian visibility and reducing speeds in this area while we continue to look at longer term options that legally require more analysis,” Mr Corbett added in his statement to KGO. “We also need a community-wide approach to improve roadway safety and everyone, whether you’re driving, biking or walking, plays a role in making sure we protect each other.”
He said the city has decreased the speed in the area by temporarily eliminating a lane from a part of Franklin Parkway. The incident seen in the video took place at the intersection of Franklin and Baze Road in San Mateo, south of San Francisco.
Mr Orbett said that another pedestrian beacon will be added to the crossing to heighten visibility and that the police presence will be higher.
The city also recommended, for a second time, that the possibility of all-way stop signs being added to the intersection be reviewed. Following 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 street,” Ms Hong said. “Kind of like, in slow motion, I kinda saw in the corner of my eye, this car kinda zooming past.”
“I’m very grateful to the community for their support and to city government for their quick action on this particular crosswalk but also hoping for lasting improvements to other crosswalks like this,” the father told KGO.
