Sep 2, 2009 7:32 am US/Pacific
'Hill Flying' A Dangerous Trend In San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ―
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Drivers have blown through stop signs in an attempt to go airborne on San Francisco's Russian Hill, in what is known as "hill flying."
CBS
41 years after the movie "Bullitt," cars are still bouncing around San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood. But a series of recent incidents have police there worried that it could be getting more dangerous.
"It's called 'hill flying,'" said Lt. Victor Tsang of the San Francisco Police Department. Thrill seekers taking advantage of San Francisco's steep topography accelerate up to the crest of the hill and then soar through the air.
Often the driver has an accomplice shooting video with a cell phone, and the
video ends up on YouTube.
Sigrid Wallach, a Russian Hill resident, shot video of a car that lost control, then crashed and burned on August 6th. She said hill flying occurs at least once a week.
"They blow through the stop sign and go airborne over the crest of this hill," Wallach said. "I think it's an outrage that they would come to Russian Hill and engage in this activity."
"Our doorman who works the night shift says he sees it, hears it every night," said Wallach.
Tina Moylan of the Russian Hill Neighbors Association said she's seen hill flyers young and old. Many seem to be trying to replicate scenes from "Bullitt," which drove right through the intersection of Taylor and Green.
While it can be fun for thrill seekers, it can get ugly. On August 20th, a hill flyer crashed into a row of parked cars.
"They lost control, hit the eight cars that are that the bottom of the hill and completely crushed them," said Moylan.
That incident happened at 3 o'clock in the morning. Often, hill flyers bound over during the daytime. Lt. Tsang is worried about what could happen with so many families and dog walkers.
"When you come down that hill and your brakes fail, you're going to pick up a lot of motion and there's going to be a horrendous crash," said Tsang.
Supervisor David Chiu said he has talked to the Police, and they have decided to step up patrols in the area. An unmanned police car has also been placed at the foot of one of the hills to deter hill flyers.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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