Law Office of Arkady Itkin 

Having studied the more and the less serious injury accidents in San Francisco that involve pedestrians, I noticed that there are two common (but not often discussed) situations in which a driver is more likely to hit a pedestrian when making a right turn:

1. Turning right while making sure that the road is clear for upcoming traffic. Have you ever caught yourself turning rolling forward and right at an intersection while looking to your left to make sure that the road is clear for upcoming traffic? This is a very dangerous move, as the pedestrian who might have started crossing the street just assumes that you will stop without even making sure that you see him. This might end up in a low-speed but nevertheless a serious injury accident. 

2. Not looking far enough to your right when making a right turn. It is especially important to look all the way to the right to make sure that you see all the pedestrian who are crossing the street and who are just about to cross the street on the the more crowded streets of downtown San Francisco. No looking all the way to your right, where the pedestrians actually begin crossing the street, increases the risk of hitting a pedestrian at a point where the vehicle almost completed the right turn, impacting the pedestrian with its side. 

Keep the above two warnings in mind when you turn right on a red light, and these turns will be much safer - for pedestrians and for you.

I have been driving through timed-lights streets in San Francisco (such as Bush, Pine, and now Geary street) for years hoping that one day the city will make those streets safer by placing stop lights not only on the sides of the streets but also above the lanes, like it is customarily done pretty much anywhere outside the City and County of San Francisco. 

I was really pleased to witness my little "dream" come true as more and more streets, including Geary and Bush get these over-the-head lights. Now, the drivers don't need to struggle or actively look for the light at the intersection when they drive but it is actually right in front of them. 
Hopefully, sooner than later all the major streets will have these larger stoplights above the roads, making the streets of San Francisco both easier and safer to drive.