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Escondido officials, school district and residents weigh joint traffic-safety information campaign after child killed in hit-and-run
Summary
City staff and trustees proposed a joint public-information campaign with Escondido school districts after a recent fatal hit-and-run; trustees offered student-led messaging, grant-writing support and possible driver-education revival, while residents urged targeted traffic calming at local hot spots.
City staff asked the Transportation and Community Safety Commission to weigh in on a proposed joint public-information traffic-safety campaign involving the city, Escondido Union School District and Escondido Union High School District, a staff presentation showed.
The proposal was spurred by a recent hit-and-run crash that staff said killed an 11- or 12-year-old, and the city council is slated to consider additional funding for traffic safety next week. Christie Knight, board president for Escondido Union High School District, told the commission the district supports a grassroots campaign that pairs enforcement with community messaging and student participation. "Nothing would be more powerful to me than to see a young person say, ‘please slow down. I play on the street. My friends have been killed by drivers,'" Knight said.
Knight offered district resources — student-created videos, print shop support and grant-writing help — and said she would volunteer pro bono to assist if the city lacks capacity. Staff said the commission's role would be advisory: the council would make final decisions but could benefit from traffic-safety expertise and recommendations from the commission. Commissioners and staff discussed options to accelerate work outside the commission's quarterly schedule, including scheduling a special meeting or returning with recommendations in April.
Resident public comment underscored the perceived urgency. Jared Kasbaum of East 5th Avenue described repeated collisions at 5th and Juniper and said his family has repeatedly responded to crashes: "Grade school children should not feel like they need to be part time paramedics," Kasbaum said, asking the city to evaluate traffic calming at that intersection.
Staff did not present a firm campaign timeline at the meeting; they asked the commission to provide feedback and to consider whether to direct staff to develop materials or pilot messages ahead of the council's funding action. The commission did not take a formal vote on the campaign at the session and will consider follow-up at a future meeting.
