Mark West Springs Road, north of Santa Rosa, is considered by the CHP as one
of the most dangerous in Sonoma County because of the number of accidents.
pressdemocrat.com photo by James Fremgen
We asked the CHP to list what it considers the most dangerous roads that it patrols in Sonoma County.
Basing his answer on the number of serious collisions, the spokesman for the local CHP office, Officer Jon Sloat, cited:
–Mark West Springs Road, which racked up 634 crashes from 2000 to 2009, resulting in seven deaths and 414 injuries.
–Highway 116, from Forestville to Monte Rio, with 409 crashes, five deaths and 256 injuries.
–Lakeville Highway, with 244 crashes, one death and 31 injuries.
“Any two-lane road in Sonoma County can be dangerous,” Sloat said.
“This is because two-lane roads have no physical divider and are usually lined with trees that rarely move when you hit them,” he said.
Sloat noted it’s not the roads themselves that are dangerous but “it’s the way people drive them.”
Mark West Springs Road and Lakeville Highway particularly are dangerous because “people drive well above the speed limit” and when there are crashes on the two roads, “they are usually high speed and major,” he said.
Highway 116 through Pocket Canyon “is extremely winding, and many people — a majority of them regular users of the route — take it at an unsafe speed,” Sloat said.
What’s the CHP to do?
“Tickets, tickets, tickets,” he said. “Stats show that the more tickets we write in an area, the fewer collisions we take and the fewer injuries and deaths occur.”
Sloat noted Lakeville Highway used to have a high rate of crashes and deaths until several years ago when the CHP received grant money to saturate the road with patrols, “and it worked.”
He said Caltrans erected “Headlights On” signs to get drivers to increase their visibility to other drivers, and that helped reduce crashes too.
Despite those efforts, Sloat said, people still drive too fast on Lakeville.
Steve Klausner
I would have thought Hwy 12 between Santa Rosa and Fetters Hot Springs would have been on the list. But the CHP patrolling it are out Napa not Santa Rosa.
August 4th, 2010 7:09 am
mr.bigboy
Then on top of all that throw in bicycle riders on roads that have no shoulders.
August 4th, 2010 7:35 am
dellade
too bad people can’t drive the speed limit, or not drunk, or pay attention when they drive. that would cut the number of accidents i am sure.
August 4th, 2010 8:20 am
matt
mark west is dangerous, for the bikers and also on memorial day driving home at 1 in the morning i thought i was imagining something but up ahead about a few hundred feet there was a car passing someone on a double yellow around a blind corner, i was about to go off the side before i hit them
August 4th, 2010 8:46 am
Its Me (Again)
…ANY road where there is a drunk driver is dangerous.
August 4th, 2010 9:20 am
Lisa
I’m one of those regular drivers on 116 between Guerneville and Forestville. What’s dangerous about that road is slow drivers, semi-trucks and suicidal bicycle riders and not the people who drive the speed limit.
Elizabeth
August 4th, 2010 10:22 am
Naomi
It seems to me that people frequently forget that driving is a privilege NOT a right! It can be really scary driving out there, the number of people who drive aggressively and tailgate and don’t use their signals and drive distracted or drunk. A little bit of consideration would go a long ways! With both the car drivers AND the bicyclist too!
August 4th, 2010 10:35 am
Chris from Santa Rosa
@Lisa:
I think you just made Officer Sloat’s point!
August 4th, 2010 11:12 am
BRAY
Naomi said the word, “consideration” that’s what is lacking the most on the roads. If somone is “considerate” that means that they would think of other people other than themselves when making a decision.
If this happened, many of the dangers of driving would be greatly reduced. I’m not holding my breath though.
Driving slower doesn’t equal being considerate, although it may help some people.
August 4th, 2010 1:04 pm
Ben c
everyones in a hurry got to make it there 35 seconds quicker
August 4th, 2010 1:51 pm
M. Watercress
@ Lisa,
With all due respect, if a slower driver is a danger to you only due to their slower speed, you are driving TOO fast. The speed limit is an upper limit not a minimum speed. You need to moderate your speed based on weather, sight-lines, traffic conditions, your reaction time, your vehicle’s braking and handling characteristic….. If someone is traveling so fast that coming around a blind curve they are in danger of crashing into a slower moving vehicle, they are speeding.
August 4th, 2010 2:11 pm
Linda
I’d say Hi way 12 between Glen Ellen and Farmer’s Lane is pretty treacherous. Drivers going way too fast for a 2 lane, often very narrow, country road.
August 4th, 2010 2:36 pm
Mark West Rd. - School Bus Driver
Also, on two-lane, narrow road, people will drive as close to the double yellow line on the curves, and on it, or, over onto oncoming traffic lane… my guess is they need driving lessons about how to stay between the shoulder white line and the double yellow line. And, I’d agree with Officer Sloat – speeding drivers will stay toward the middle of the roadway so they can ‘negotiate’ the curves at and above the speed limit.
August 4th, 2010 3:47 pm
Robert Tanner
Highway 116 IS dangerous! I know, because I live on it and I have to drive on it. I have seen many drivers just FLY downhill past my place, next to the rock quarries. Even though I own two bikes, I won’t even consider riding on 116 as there is NO shoulder and there are open ditches right next to the road with no guardrail. Although I’ve walked into Forestville on 116, I don’t recommend anyone walking on it either. Another irritation is there are no paved turnout lanes, so it’s either have someone tailgate you, or you try to duck into a driveway entrance or use a rough unpaved area with a sharp dropoff from the paved surface, both dangerous in the dark.
Caltrans needs to relocate Highway 116 over to River Road. Pocket Canyon is extremely treacherous even for the locals and I cringe when I see out of town tourists trying to navigate it, especially with huge motor homes or long travel trailers.
Caltrans whines about the old Hacienda bridge on River, but they also should be sued for maintaining a marked State highway on such a dangerous road like Pocket Canyon when a far better route is available along River Road. Furthermore Pocket Canyon is not suitable for giant trucks and big tour buses. River, despite the Hacienda bridge, IS suitable and far safer!
August 4th, 2010 6:09 pm
Veronica
Watercress, you are wrong, and you could be dead wrong. Drivers who consistently drive 5, 10 even 20 miles below the speed limit are not only a nuisance but are actually endangering their own and the lives of those backed up behind them.
Speed limits are posted for a reason. It is not up to the goody-two-shoes driver who thinks that he or she is so much better or more mellow by driving slower to decide. If you can’t keep up with the flow of traffic, get off the road.
November 2nd, 2010 11:26 am