Three pedestrians recently lost their lives to hit-and-run drivers in separate accidents that occurred along the Chapala-Jocotepec highway.
A Canadian senior citizen was pronounced dead on the scene after being mowed down at the intersection of Paseo del Lago in La Floresta on the night of February 23. The driver of the van that hit him drove off, abandoning the vehicle three blocks away in front of the Pemex station. Local authorities in charge of investigating the case are trying to track down the culprit through the out-of-state license plates.
The intersection of the Carretera and La Floresta.
Three nights later, an elderly Ajijic woman was gravely injured by an unidentified vehicle that ran her down as she attempted to cross the roadway at the corner of Calle Aldama, also in front of the filling station. She succumbed a short time later while receiving emergency treatment at Chapala’s Cruz Roja clinic.
A three-year-old boy died on the night of March 3 after being struck by a motorcycle as the toddler and his elder brother were crossing on the highway near the entrance to the hot springs balenario spa in San Juan Cosalá. The driver fled the scene.
The entire stretch of the main north shore artery is considered perilous for pedestrians and cyclists due to the prevalence of careless drivers who travel at excessive speeds and ignore traffic signals. Dangers mount significantly at dawn, dusk and nightfall when low visibility conditions may affect motorists’ abilities to detect hazards.
Common pedestrian safety precautions include stopping to listen and look both ways before crossing streets, using marked crosswalks, wearing light colored or reflective clothing, and avoiding distractions such as talking and messaging on hand-held devices or listening to music with headphones that impair hearing.