An 18-year-old woman thrown through the air after being struck in a crosswalk on East Yosemite Avenue at Washington Avenue early Tuesday afternoon became the eighth pedestrian hit by a vehicle so far this year.

A  vehicle is colliding with a pedestrian on average every 17 days in Manteca. At the current rate, 21 people will have been hit by vehicles while crossing streets in Manteca by the time 2013 ends. Most mishaps happen during evening hours.

The first  pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on Jan. 21 just before 8 p.m.  That mishap occurred at the intersection of North Grant Avenue and Alameda Street.

The only fatal pedestrian incident with a vehicle occurred May 22 at 6:25 in the 200 block of East Center Street when an older gentleman walked across the roadway from a nearby alley into the path of a westbound car as the sun was setting and low in the sky.

It was just back on January 28 when the second pedestrian of the year was hit in the 1400 block of Trailwood Avenue shortly before 6 p.m.  On March 13 at the corner of North Main Street and East Alameda Street another pedestrian was hit.  Two days later there was a pedestrian involved with a vehicle at West Alameda Avenue and North Maple Avenue.

Then on April 15, at about 1 a.m. an auto-pedestrian mishap occurred at the corner of South Airport Way and Daniels Street. On April 29 at  9:30 p.m.  a pedestrian was hit at the East Yosemite Avenue and Commerce Avenue intersection.  A day later on April 30, shortly before 9 a.m., another pedestrian on foot was struck at Pestana Avenue and Nehemiah Drive.

Not only are motorists urged by police to be mindful of pedestrians by police, but pedestrians are often at fault by not watching traffic approaching them and attempting to see if the drivers are paying attention to where they are going or possibly texting or talking on their cell phones.