As a former third-generation cop whose father was head of Accident Investigation in a capital city east of here—for well over a decade—I must argue that which he likewise argued: accidents are far and few between. It is a matter of semantics, and were the impact to be reinvigorated to recognise the weight of the word—i.e., collision, for instance—then perhaps such “accidents” would occur less frequently.

I have stated more than once that such an incident was inevitable, if not imminent, not too many months ago. This was no “accident” nor is there any question of visibility for a DASH driver whose seat may not be posted as high as that of a Metro bus driver but is nevertheless higher than the average POV—the latter vehicle being far more frequent yet seems to have fewer fatal collisions with pedestrians at the corner under review.

I will point out that there are indeed intersections around L.A. where it is difficult to see pedestrians when you are turning until it is close to being too late. One example in my neighborhood is the intersection of Sepulveda Blvd and Camarillo St., on the northern end of the Sherman Oaks Galleria. I often drive northbound on Sepulveda, and then turn right onto Camarillo. When making a right-hand turn with a green light, the pedestrians there also have a green light to walk across Camarillo. However, there used to be several tall bushes on the right that make it difficult to see whether there are pedestrians there waiting to cross or not. I can think of two times where I began to turn onto Camarillo only to have to stop sharply when pedestrians stepped out onto the street. The pedestrians were not at fault, to be sure: the trees were making it difficult for me to know whether there were pedestrians or not, because you can’t see them as you approach the intersection to turn right. Of course, the correct action is to come to a complete stop before you make a right-hand turn, even when you have a green light. . . but how often does everyone do that?

Some time within the past couple of months, I notice that those tall bushes have been removed, eliminating the blind spot. I don’t know why the bushes were actually removed, but I think that corner is much safer for pedestrians now. I wonder if there is some similar action that can be taken for the corner of 5th and flower. . .