|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Mountain View saw a big increase in vehicle collisions last year, with some of the city’s busiest intersections proving to be ground zero for the highest number of crashes, according to data released by the city last month.
The full list, published on the city’s website, reports a total of 776 collisions throughout the city during 2017, significantly higher than in 2016 and 2015. And the most recent data, from Jan. 1 through March of this year, shows the city is following a similar trajectory for 2018, with 162 reported accidents through the first quarter of the year.
The list of traffic incidents has some collisions missing, however, and is at odds with traffic-related information put out by the police department in its annual police report, also released last month.
The most collision-prone streets are, not surprisingly, some of the most traffic-heavy thoroughfares in Mountain View, including El Camino Real (161), Shoreline Boulevard (121), Middlefield Road (98) and Rengstorff Avenue (97) over the 15-month period. Although the crash reporting cuts some corners — simplifying each accident by listing its location at the nearest intersection — the data shows that the largest trouble spots are where surface streets meet highways. The intersection where El Camino Real and Grant Road meet Highway 237 took first place with 37 reported collisions between January 2017 and March 2018. That fact doesn’t come as a surprise to police officials.
“It’s basically a freeway coming into a major thoroughfare feeding into Grant Road,” said Lt. Saul Jaeger of the Mountain View Police Department. “Any time you have that kind of number of vehicles coming through the area, there’s a better chance of more conflict and more issues.”
Mountain View police keep a close inventory on collisions in the city, which can be used for targeted traffic enforcement, safety upgrades at dangerous intersections and keeping government officials and the community up to date on traffic safety, Jaeger said. Past reports state there were 498 collisions in 2016 and 519 collisions in 2015.
Traffic officers are highly encouraged to go beyond writing tickets — seen as a less-than-effective strategy for changing driving behavior — and speak up if an intersection is particularly problematic, Jaeger said.
“When we pull up the data we look at hot spots — where these things are occurring, what time of day they are occurring,” Jaeger said. “Most of them are during commute hours when there’s high conflict.”
The city’s data is spotty on what caused each collision, with about half either citing an “unknown” cause or simply leaving the field blank. Outside of that, the most frequent causes include a mix of unsafe speeds, failing to stay on the right half of the road, failing to yield, red-light violations and unsafe turns. Police also cited 58 incidents of driving under the influence (DUI) being the primary cause of a collision.
The most common culprit for each crash changes from one location to another. The intersection where Highway 237 meets Middlefield Road was the location of 32 crashes over a 15-month period, of which nearly half were caused by red-light violations, according to the city’s data.
Although it can be tough to determine fault for each of the crashes, Jaeger said nearly every single collision was likely preventable and caused by some kind of infraction of the California Vehicle Code. It often comes down to drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians simply not paying attention to the road.
“The majority of traffic collisions have a common theme — there’s distraction usually involved and there’s speed involved,” Jaeger said. “Not even just classic distractions like using a phone, people are thinking about the next meeting they need to go to.”
Alongside the department’s long-term mission to change driving behaviors, Jaeger said safety upgrades to specific intersections can also go a long way towards reducing traffic violations. The traffic light at the intersection of Charleston Road and Independence Avenue was modified to protect pedestrians in the crosswalk after a Los Altos man was struck and killed there in 2015. City officials also agreed to make several upgrades at the intersection of El Monte Avenue and Marich Way in order to alert drivers to pedestrians crossing the road — following another pedestrian fatality in 2015 — and upgrades are on the way for the intersection of Grant Road, Phyllis Avenue and Martens Avenue.
“Each one of the collisions we have is a unique story that tells us a tale of what happened and what we could potentially do to mitigate that in the future,” Jaeger said.
The traffic data released by the city last month is at odds with its own annual police report for 2017, which show different numbers of accidents. The 2017 annual report states that there were 610 collisions in 2017, of which 226 involved injuries, but the tally in the city’s reports shows there were 776 collisions, including 251 with injuries.
The discrepancy is due to different reporting standards, according to police spokeswoman Katie Nelson. The larger number of collisions included in the recent city data includes all vehicle accidents on both public and private property, whereas the police report figures refer to crashes on public roads. The larger scope in the city’s data was requested by members of Mountain View’s Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Nelson said.
The city’s list of collisions may not be the definitive list of crashes. When the Voice inquired about two injury collisions involving bicyclists in February this year that were not included in the data, Jaeger confirmed that the collisions were excluded from the city’s data and could not explain why. The Voice only knew about the incidents, which occurred on Feb. 23 and Feb. 25, by listening to fire department communication over the PulsePoint app, so it’s possible there are other incidents left unreported in the data.
The 2018 data also fails to identify which collisions involved bicyclists and pedestrians, which police officials say was done in error and that they are seeking to rectify the omission.
Discrepancies notwithstanding, Jaeger disputes that collisions are on the rise, and says that the increase in jobs and housing in the city doesn’t necessarily correlate with more crashes. The numbers may vary from year to year and it’s difficult to tell why, he said, but overall the number of crashes this year doesn’t seem unusual compared to the past five years. Although traffic reporting changed significantly in 2015 by including non-injury crashes — making long-term comparisons difficult — the number of injury crashes in 2017 was not wildly different from past years, he said.
Jaeger said there’s also the possibility that some years are just anomalies, like in 2015 when there were six traffic fatalities with little thread to tie any of the deaths together.
“How come we had six fatalities in 2015? I still don’t know,” he said. “There’s no direct correlation with any of them.”
I think these numbers might even be lower because when I was struck by another driver the police told us to exchange information and never came out. I know the other driver didn’t report it to the insurance company so how would any of this data be correct?
Another thing I don’t see is the amount of enforcement during the early morning commute and evening commute. Growing up in Mountain View I would see a lot more cops pulling no people over. Now it is non-exsistant. You just don’t see it unless it is one of those “enforcement Campaigns.” I be curious if Redwood City has the same issue since they’ve done and continue to enforce a lot. No one dares drive fast down Farm Hill Boulevard anymore.
So can the Mountain View cops and not just the motorcycle guys to enforce and enforce and then enforce some more. I don’t need to hear about it on Facebook or at some event where the cops are talking about. Let’s see it and get these drivers to slow down.
Guaranteed. If you’re not discussing how to get drivers off their phones, you’re not taking the issue of traffic accidents seriously.
Any time when traffic is heavy you can watch 3 or 4 or even 5 drivers at a time (yep, 5) running red left-turn signals at El Camino and Grant/237, especially turning left from El Camino to Grant. This means that people are actually entering the intersection several seconds after the red light, and needless to say they are going damn fast. Enforcement might not be the prescription for overall traffic calming, but good grief, these people are especially dangerous and their behavior is conspicuous to the point of arrogance. Haven’t seen enforcement at this intersection in several years, since a motorcycle patrolman was flagging down drivers who rolled through a right turn on the red light from 237 to El Camino. There could have been five cops there to deal with the frequency of that happening.
No doubt traffic enforcement is a PITA — but please!
I cross thru this intersection several times a day and have never seen any enforcement. The most problematic issue of this intersection is that unlike other signal lights, when one light goes from yellow to red, there is a pause until another signal turns green, here there is no pause. Not only that but southbound grant seems to always block the intersection for people going eastbound ECR. As a “good driver” I would like to see more Traffic Officers driving around. Skip posting photos of coffee with a cop on the MVPD instagram page and start posting pictures of speeders and red light runners getting tickets! Instant Justice!
Jeff, I could not agree with you more. The number of people going thru red lights in this area is shocking. I have driven in major cities all over the country and I have never seen so many people driving thru red lights. I moved here from Orlando and during the time I lived there, the City installed red light cameras at all or most of the intersections and the decrease in accidents was reported to be 40% and the revenue to the City was huge and well spent on City programs. I think it’s a solution well worth considering. Stay safe!
I second this – As a “good driver” I would like to see more Traffic Officers driving around. Skip posting photos of coffee with a cop on the MVPD instagram page and start posting pictures of speeders and red light runners getting tickets! Instant Justice!
Get off the Social Media we are awesome kick and address the problems at hand. Put down that cup of coffee and get after those bad drivers.
@kskyflyer2
In an ideal world maybe, but in real life not so much. There is already a delay between when the other light turns red and the oncoming traffic turns green and people still run the reds.
A law that isn’t enforced basically isn’t a law.
They know exactly where the problem intersections are, they know what the busy days/times are, so I find it odd that they can’t target enforcement for those times.
The easiest way to become a better driver is TURN YOUR PHONE OFF when you drive. Put it in your purse or in your pocket or somewhere else where you cannot touch it at all. If the police could strictly enforce this one traffic law effectively, our streets would instantly become 10 times safer. Ticket all the scofflaws with no warnings.
More cops on grant and El Camino please! The beggars on every median during high traffic doesn’t help with anyone’s safety. Drivers handing out cash to the local bums is not helping. Community services takes donations and provides services to all of our community members in need.
I really want to know the accident rate of human drivers compared to the Waymos I’ve seen driving around.
Residents along Middlefield in Palo Alto photographed and kept a record of accidents on 4 blocks of Middlefield near downtown for 30 days. We then compared our numbers to those of accidents in the CHP database. Our conclusion – slightly less than half of all accidents get reported.
Then we wanted to know, if the police are called and show up at the accident scene, does that mean the accident will be reported? The answer is no. We sent our then-chief photos showing the officer on scene and details of the accident and asked if it had been documented/reported. His answer was no.
We will not really know how bad our accident rates are unless we insist on better tracking and reporting.
FYI – Anyone can request accident data from the CHP for specific intersections and date ranges. They provide you a PDF with details about time, type of accident (t-bone, rear-end, etc.) injuries, etc.
If you have seen the new construction at Castro and El Camino and how two lanes suddenly merge into one with no clear markings —– no wonder it is a major crash site. They should at least mark the lanes. I always dread that intersection when I want to cross El camino heading north on Castro.
roads too small for pop growth.
influx of new drivers with less familarity with driving in area
influx of bad new drivers in 90,000 cars with poorer visibility over previous generations as well as ‘safety aids’ that provide confidence boosts.
Big shocker… area’s toast, sad but true. Be careful on the road!
I work near the intersection of Villa and Castro and it is ugly as hell on busy nights… it is only a matter of time before an impatient motorist wipes out those crowds of pedestrians. I regularly see frustrated motorists gunning their engines to send an FU to the pedestrians who block their way, and alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights adds intensity.
I moved from Fremont to Mountain View 4 months ago and I was shocked how common it is to see drivers running red lights, skipping stop signs, not yielding to pedestrians and doing illegal right-turn without stopping. Living next to a busy intersection, I am also sad that I can hear drivers shouting profanities at each other/pedestrians and honking excessively all the time 🙁 Sitting next to the window i could also count upwards of 5-10 drivers texting or looking at their phone while driving in a short period of time.
Scary place to live and commute.
It’s actually worse in Fremont now, plus they have the psycho speeders and just last week I saw a pack of freestyle motorcyclists doing stunt tricks. Unbelievable.
I stopped complaining about MV drivers when I started to see the daily mayhem Fremont roads dish up, and the farther up 880 you go, the worse the drivers get.
I live near Grant/El Camino/237 and in 25 years have never seen a motorcycle cop or patrol car monitoring this intersection. What I have seen is plenty of red-light runners, cars trying to get that left turn and stuck in the middle of the intersection, and everything else described above. We’re told the “cameras” mounted on the light poles up and down Grant Road are to monitor traffic and control the signals, which makes no sense if we are still sitting at a red light with no one else around. Why aren’t we using cameras to ticket speeders and red-light runners? I saw that in Switzerland 30 years ago, is there a reason that hasn’t caught on here?
Might be a good idea for there to be some traffic slowing provisions as you exit the highway and reach the lights at El Camino and Grant Road. Perhaps some bumps in the road starting a while back could help slow cars down and stop drivers from going through red lights at least in that direction.
Traffic as you approach ECR from west bound 237 is exacerbated by small ego drivers insistent on trying to stay ahead of the guy behind them. They’ll slow way down but remain in the lane, not exiting until the very last second. The combination of people doing that at the 101 exit as well as the 85 exit results in bogging down traffic as you come into MV. Note to these drivers: Move over and get passed. It’s gonna happen anyway…deal with it better next time though.
Some people should not drive at all. It is easy to see people with little control in their lives acting aggressively when they get behind the wheel.
Perhaps large employers could stagger hours to relieve congestion or allow more workers to work from remote or satellite locations.
The whole Bay Area doesn’t have the infrastructure to support the rising population. Housing units and companies adding more employees keep getting approved without a thought as to how people can get from point A to point B.
Also as pedestrians we are only allowed to enter the intersection when the walk sign is on. If it is flashing or solid hand you are not supposed to enter into the intersection. People just cross as long as the light is green or turning yellow not allowing drivers to turn left or right.
We are living in a society of Silicon Valley engineers who believe rules are for suckers and have no regard for human life. They just say oh it was an accident.
It’s just more drivers with their heads down. A same car cellphone blocker that works when a car’s transmission is in gear would make the accident rate plummet.
I have lived in Mt View 25 years and right from the start i noticed that lack of Right Turning lanes at Shoreline & Middlefield is an issue. People Don’t always know what to do there and its bad intersection for people running red lights. I try to avoid this intersection.
if a light has a countdown timer you can cross while flashing, as long as you are able to complete the crossing in time.
According to California Vehicle Code section 21456, the flashing pedestrian light and the countdown timer mean:
A flashing “DON’T WALK” or “WAIT” or approved “Upraised Hand” symbol with a “countdown” signal indicating the time remaining for a pedestrian to cross the roadway means a pedestrian facing the signal may start to cross the roadway in the direction of the signal but must complete the crossing prior to the display of the steady “DON’T WALK” or “WAIT” or approved “Upraised Hand” symbol when the “countdown” ends.
Prior to last year, the vehicle code had no mention of countdown timers, so many people were confused. The above text is the current law, so stop blasting your horn at pedestrians!
I grew up in Los Altos and have lived in Mountain View for 25 years now and am constantly shocked at how terrible the traffic has become. What I found interesting about this article in the actual paper (not online) is that the article about the increase in collisions was on the left front page and on the right front page was an article about the City Council approving the building of a multi-story office building at the corner of California and San Antonio road instead of a school as originally planned. How many more multi-story buildings can the city support? My condo community sits next to a 2 story apartment complex that will be replaced with a multi-story apartment complex with one parking space for each unit – how realistic is that? I think the Council needs to coordinate traffic planning with new construction planning and rearrange their priorities or the city will become unlivable.
The driving style here is a reflection of people’s attitude, which has been grating on me for a while. I’ve lived all over the world in my life, enough to see the differences between people and cultures.
The Bay Area has this attitude of “my time is more important than yours, out of my way”. It happens while driving, it happens in line at the movies, it happens at the farmer’s market. People are rushing everywhere, it’s exhausting.
Part of that is that we simply don’t have enough infrastructure for everyone here – and I mean movie theaters, super markets, shops, restaurants, so we always have lines. Another reason is that we are zoned in this silly way where everyone lives in one place, works in another, and we all commute down the same congested corridors, this breeds stress. We have an aversion to mixed development. We also have an underclass who commutes in from hours away to work low paying jobs, which high paying people depend on, and that’s not easy on the psyche either.
Chill out, people. Take it a little easier. And next time someone proposes a new store, or shop or bus stop in your neighborhood, don’t fight against it.
The left turn onto E Middlefield Rd from the offramp/road from 237 West is constantly plagued by people trying to make left turns from the middle lane which is clearly marked on the street with a straight arrow. I don’t know why people think they can make a left turn from there but please make it clearer because me and my coworkers have all had near-accident experiences multiple times over the past year from this intersection.
Too many people + too many cars = increased chances for accidents.
Other factors….being in a hurry & a larger number of newer drivers on the road.
You.
Yes, YOU!
Put the phone down.
THANK YOU for not calling these “traffic accidents”! As Lt. Jaeger says, nearly all of these were avoidable, if people were obeying traffic safety laws or didn’t allow themselves to be distracted.
Though let’s be honest, our dumb animal brains can’t be trusted to behave perfectly, especially when in charge of several tons of metal traveling at high speeds. It’s just another reminder to be very careful out there. Even more so if you’re walking or on a bicycle, where the risk of death is crazy high compared to the safety of a metal cage on wheels!
Well I think at all 4 way stop lights that all the lights should turn red first to make everyone stop, then turn green so that way maybe it will stop people from running red lights.
Never thought I would suggest this, but we need a red light camera at El Camino and Grant Road. Mountain View police dept apparently has no interest in enforcing traffic laws. So get a camera to do it.
With more and more population in Mountain View, more and more cars on the existing roads, more traffic accidents are guaranteed. Enforcement may be helpful to reduce the collisions on the busiest roads
@ Games from the 101/85 users
do you know how close the entry ramp and exit ramp are with the exits you mentioned? the car in front of you might have to slow down to allow incoming car(s) to enter the freeway, and merge onto the exit within a short distance.
use your peripheral vision and evaluate the entire situation, not just the car in front of you. and i am sure not all the drivers in front of you is out to slow you down thinking they are playing a game with you. your license should be re-considered if you think driving is a game.
Was almost hit this afternoon by a car speeding through from Grant Rd to 237 well after the light had changed – so fortunate I slowly moved forward on El Camino after the lights had turned green & I could stop promptly – I will try and avoid this intersection – was frightening thinking how close came to being in a crash. Hope there are red light cameras capturing footage and number plates of those running the lights.