Why car crashes are more dangerous — and more often deadly — for older pedestrians

On an August morning two years ago, Meredith Melville was crossing Piedmont Avenue in Oakland to meet a friend at a cafe. While in the crosswalk, she noticed a car some distance away.

Perhaps she misjudged its speed, she said, because she’d walked only partway across the street when the car, a Toyota sedan, came bearing down on her.