[mdip]

I believe this has a lot to do with the problem in my area. We have a bunch of disconnected sidewalks almost everywhere. They've started connecting them. There's more pedestrian traffic at some lights at some times of the day but it's nowhere near consistent.

Driving, especially during commute, becomes an exercise of muscle memory for most of us. We are used to what we see. All year long I might encounter a pedestrian at my most commonly encountered intersections once a year. Most drivers are on auto-pilot, they're used to looking for cars, if people aren't abundantly obvious, they're missed.

They've started connecting sidewalks around me. Foot traffic has tripled as a result. Still, that means I encounter a pedestrian three times a year? That's not going to improve exposure enough to make anyone specifically look any more frequently. It's going to just create more opportunities for people to get hit. And that's what's happened.

[CalRobert]

Very true - I honestly was a bad driver when I lived in suburban California (Sacramento, etc.). I generally just followed lights and didn't look for pedestrians. Then I moved somewhere people can just walk across the street anywhere (Dublin, Ireland) and got used to watching for pedestrians (sometimes kids!) like a hawk while driving.

As a result it really freaks me out when I visit home and friends and relatives will drive 25, 35, 45 mph right next to a row of parked cars where a person could walk in front of them at any moment, and not even consider the possibility of a pedestrian. It's a complete mindset shift.