The pumpkin patch along Highway 101 north of Petaluma has driven motorists for years to slow down and gawk at the pumpkins, corn maze and people. This Press Democrat photo is from 2006.

It’s pumpkin patch season on Highway 101 in Petaluma, and it’s time to be extra careful driving there.

Ever since a pumpkin patch began opening every fall along 101 between Pepper Road and Petaluma Boulevard North, traffic slows to a crawl as drivers and passengers gawk at the pumpkin patch, corn maze and hundreds of families having fun hunting for that right pumpkin. But there’s also been an annual increase in crashes along that stretch of highway.

The pumpkin patch is open for this Halloween season, and the traffic snarls have started. Southbound traffic at one point Sunday afternoon backing up into Cotati. Traffic already can be a mess at times in the area because of the highway widening construction.

CHP Officer Jon Sloat said CHP statistics show there’s an average increase of 15 to 18 accidents along 101 between Santa Rosa Avenue and Petaluma Boulevard North during September and October. The assumption here is that many of those accidents are related to pumpkin-patch rubbernecking.

Sloat emphasized that “it is not the pumpkin patch causing collisions. It is the distracted driver.”

For those who must use 101 during pumpkin patch time, be aware of the likely slowdown and plan more time to get to your destination. Alternatives can be Stony Point and Petaluma Hill roads. Happy Halloween.