Pedestrian death on SF’s Sloat Blvd. underscores safety problem

A 45-year-old man was killed on Sloat Boulevard on Tuesday night while attempting to cross the busy thoroughfare, officials said. A 45-year-old man was killed on Sloat Boulevard on Tuesday night while attempting to cross the busy thoroughfare, officials said. Photo: John King Photo: John King Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Pedestrian death on SF’s Sloat Blvd. underscores safety problem 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 45-year-old man was struck and killed by a car Tuesday night in San Francisco’s Sunset District, authorities said.

The man was crossing the street at Sloat Boulevard near 36th Avenue when he was hit at about 8:10 p.m., said a police spokesman, Officer Robert Rueca.

The victim died at the scene. His name was withheld until relatives could be notified.

The 75-year-old driver stopped and cooperated with investigators, police said. His name has not been released.

Sloat Boulevard has been identified as a “high injury” street under Vision Zero, a city program to enforce road safety. That means it is among the 12 percent of streets that collectively are the site of nearly three-fourths of pedestrian deaths and serious injuries in the city, said Tom Maguire, sustainable streets director at the Municipal Transportation Agency.

Because of its designation, Sloat gets priority for city safety funds.

“Sloat is one of the main areas that we want to focus on for pedestrian safety,” said Ashley Summers, a legislative aide for Supervisor Katy Tang, who represents the neighborhood.

Sloat’s dangers became especially apparent in 2013 when a Lowell High School student was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver. In April, the city’s Public Works agency began installing bulb-outs to shorten pedestrian street-crossing distances and improving curb ramps and walkways.

Twelve pedestrians have died this year citywide, officials said. There were 20 pedestrian deaths in 2015 and 16 last year.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani