WEDNESDAY'S ACCIDENT that claimed the life of a visiting Swedish dignitary should serve as a tragic warning for pedestrians and motorists who share the city.

It also should spur city officials to pose this question: Can anything be done to improve pedestrian safety, particularly along the heavily walked Bull Street corridor through the heart of the Historic District?

Police say that Nils Eric Svensson, 61, a regional business developer from Skanor, Sweden, died from injuries he received after being hit by a truck in a marked crosswalk just after 10 p.m. at Oglethorpe Avenue and Bull Street. Mr. Svensson was part of a group of about 30 people that had dined in Madison Square, which is one block south of Liberty Street. He had walked three blocks north on Bull when he was hit.

The community mourns the death of Mr. Svensson, who was attending a Swedish-American business conference in Savannah. Like Mayor Otis Johnson, we agree that the progress made during this meeting makes this tragedy difficult to bear.

Sadly, Mr. Svensson is the fourth pedestrian to die after being struck by a vehicle here this year, tying the number of pedestrians struck and killed for all of last year.

But unlike the earlier victims, Mr. Svensson wasn't jaywalking. He was crossing a downtown boulevard in one of the most-walked areas of the city.

Police are taking time with this investigation, and rightly so. While state law gives pedestrians the right-of-way in marked crosswalks, people on foot can't simply step off the curb and expect a motorist who's almost on top of them to slam on the brakes.

Just as drivers must yield to pedestrians and should be prepared to stop, pedestrians should stop and wait when drivers are about to pass through the crosswalks.

But spending just a few minutes at the Bull and Oglethorpe intersection Wednesday, and observing the reactions of pedestrians and drivers, reveals a mix of reactions. Most motorists slowed down and stopped for walkers. A few, however, didn't.

Experienced Savannah pedestrians try to make eye contact with motorists before crossing the street, even if they clearly have the right-of-way. Being right is little satisfaction when you're in the back of an ambulance and on your way to the hospital.

Likewise, savvy motorists also watch for jaywalkers and tourists who step out in front of moving traffic without warning, especially near popular restaurants or attractions.

A little vigilance goes a long way when you live in a place that attracts so many out-of-towners who are unfamiliar with traffic patterns.

But motorists who blow through crosswalks and pay little attention to pedestrians or yellow signs in the middle of the street - a prime example is in the downtown design district on Whitaker Street near Jones and Taylor streets - should be cited. The fine is $208, according to a clerk for Savannah-Chatham Recorder's Court.

Because Savannah is a tourist town, guides who escort large groups visitors on walking tours - especially at night - must make sure their patrons are aware that the downtown isn't a theme park. It's a living, breathing city where pedestrians and traffic use the same spaces.

City Traffic Engineer Mike Weiner said jaywalking is responsible for more accidents involving pedestrians than improperly following crosswalk laws. Still, he gets a lot of requests for more visible crosswalk markers, particularly the rubber signs posted in the middle of some streets. Unfortunately, such markers have a short life span. "People hit them, then they're gone," he said.

Such markers have been replaced by yellow crosswalk signs with arrows mounted on posts near curbs. But do motorists see them? Would yellow flashing warning lights along the Bull Street corridor be a worthwhile investment?

The rules of common sense apply as well.

Let's hope the accident that took the life of a Swedish visitor encourages everyone who drives and walks in this city to pay closer attention.