Five people have been killed in less than a month while walking or riding their bike in Stockton.
“That is a lot,” said Joe Silva, spokesman for the Stockton Police Department. “What’s unique about these traffic fatalities, is there’s really no correlation between any of them because they’re occurring in different parts of the city, different parts of the day.”
Silva says a 23-year-old woman was the fifth person to die Saturday morning after she was struck by a vehicle while riding her bicycle on Tam O’Shanter Drive and Hammertown Drive.
“The driver of that vehicle did the right thing. He stopped immediately, waited for first responders and law enforcement to arrive, and he cooperated with the investigation,” Silva explained.
Stockton police wants to remind not just drivers, but also pedestrians and cyclists to be aware of their surroundings at all times.
“What we want people to do is just use common sense,” Silva said. “If you're going to cross the street, you have to find a nearby crosswalk and always look both directions before you cross the street, and if there is heavy traffic, just wait.”
Silva said the department is concerned with the number of deadly traffic accidents that have occurred in recent weeks.
“This week, and in the coming weeks we will be doing some public service announcements on our social media – just reminding people to be vigilant,” Silva added.
