This is a very unfortunate reminder of just how careful drivers must be in school traffic. Even older children are still occasionally impulsive creatures who might not always understand the importance of being vigilant. Drivers should slow down, be patient and considerate, and remember that no hurry that you are in justifies risking the safety of others. I hope that poor kid recovers well and is back playing with her family and friends soon.

Crossing the street in near or in front of a school should not be a dangerous situation. Yet, everyday I see people unwilling to stop for the crossing guard and children crossing to go to school. Drivers speed and make fast maneuvers that do not take children or pedestrians into account.

I hope that this unfortunate accident will prompt the Pleasanton Police Department to better patrol everyday as our children walk and ride to school.

We live in the Vintage Hills area and many drivers are speeding up on Touriga Drive to get their children to school. There were many times that crossing guard lady was standing in the middle of the street while the cars went beside her. Hopefully, the city of Pleasanton do something such as putting stop signs up before some major accidents occur in the Vintage Hills School neighborhood.

We live in the Vintage Hills neighborhood and cars are always speeding up on Touriga street when we are walking up that street. There are no stop signs on that street and people are racing up the hill to get their children to school and also during non-school times. The City of Pleasanton should do something about this before it gets out of hand.

We also live in the area. I have noticed speeding cars on Touriga, and also, very very fast mini-vans and SUV's (as well as other cars) speeding on Palomino after they drop off in the mornings. I believe it is a 25mph, and cars are easily going 40.

Slow down, before another child (or adult) gets hurt...or killed for that matter.

This speeding and inattention by parents is a common occurrence around town, and one which has become scarier. I am not over-generalizing when I say that it is almost ALWAYS moms and dads in oversized pickup trucks and SUVs, the majority yacking on their cell phones, one hand on the wheel, bearing down on drivers who are trying to obey the speed limits ESPECIALLY around the school and the sports park zones. How many times have you seen one of these parents barreling down the 680 overpass on W. Las Positas, pushing 50? How many times have you seen them floor their oversized vehicles to make it into the left turn lane or make the YELLOW turn light at the Sports Park? How many have you seen fail to yield to kids crossing the "Y" when making the right hand turn into the Sports Park or not come to a full stop and terrorize a poor kid on a bike or a dog walker at the corner of W. Las Positas and Muirwood?

Can't parents recognize that they are putting kids and other drivers in danger with their speeding and their inattentiveness? Can the police do a bit more to A) educate the adults of this town that they need to start driving in a more sane fashion - hang up the damn cell phone or get a hands-free device and have a zero tolerance/no warning policy for speeders, and B) rotate the school patrols to have once a week coverage at the crucial "hot spots" to keep people on their toes?

I am really concerned about this big truck/SUV barreling trend and the safety around town. The stopping distance for these vehicles with their greater mass is much longer than for a compact/mid-sized car, and the impact to a tiny body on foot or a bike could be deadly.

Sarah,

A new California law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2008 that requires the use of a hands-free device when talking on a cellphone. A good step, but it unfortunately won't solve the basic problem of too little care and courtesy drivers give to pedestrians and other drivers. I think some public education might be an answer, as you suggest.

Stacey - thanks for bringing up the new hands-free cell phone law; that will help some, if people start following the law when it goes into effect. I'm still concerned about the speed of the big trucks and SUVs around town, with their drivers thinking that posted speed limits, turn signals and other safe driving practices apply only to those who "don't have a real life with so many important things to do". The fact that these drivers have kids and young teens in their vehicles when they drive in this hell-bent-we're-late-for-school-soccer-football-band-practice-so-who-needs-to-slow-down manner makes it all the worse, since they're patterning behaviors that their kids are going to remember when THEY are behind the wheel in the not-distant future.

I'd like to have an open forum on this, with input from Pleasanton residents. Maybe discuss such questions as:

1) "Do you use your turn signals when making a right turn? If not, why not?"
a) because I'm on my cell phone and don't have a free hand
b) because that's for wusses
c) because that's for people who don't own expensive cars
d) because it's been so long since I used it, I've forgotten how

2) "Do you think it's a good idea to go 50 in a 35 mph zone?"
a) sure,why not, that's what the accelator on my expensive SUV is for
b) no, but I'm on my cell phone and I lose track of my speed
c) not usually, but if I'm late for something, hell yeah
d) of course - they post a speed limit, but everyone knows that you can add 15 mph and not get caught if you're smart

3) "Do you come to a full stop before making a right hand turn?"
a) are you kidding me? That's only when you're taking the driving test
b) Yes. Always. I mean, if I see a cop car around.

Funny how everyone assumes it is the drivers fault. My daughter knows the girl who was injured. She was already at PMS and realized she forgot her homework. (She lives in th apartments across the street.) She ran across Case, without looking (and no where near the crosswalks), and was struck by a car that was going well under the speed limit (that is why her injuries were not more severe.)

Thank you for the clarification on the accident; the little blurb above here didn't give all of the details, but the full article does mention that the injured girl wasn't in the crosswalk, but crossing mid-street. I suppose my complaints and worries about the big vehicles, speed, inattentiveness and sometimes arrogance of parent drivers was a more general topic and not specifically pertinent to this incident. A bit "off topic" here, so maybe I'll start a separate topic on the forum for people to discuss. I suppose I'm an optimist and think that perhaps people can sometimes take a look at their habits and possibly change for the better?

Sarah,

I too felt that you started to talk about driving habits in general. I'd support a new thread about it. You wrote, "Do you use your turn signals when making a right turn? If not, why not?". I think the larger question is the use of turn signals in general. :)

Talking on the phone in the car is dangerous, whether it is a hands-free cell phone or not. People don't see what's going on in front of them when they're talking on the phone. Their eyes are staring, but they're not seeing. Aren't we all familiar with that blank stare of cell phone drivers?