If you’re driving in Rohnert Park, you might want to avoid doing so from 2 to 4 p.m., watch out on Thursdays and be extra careful at Rohnert Park Expressway at Redwood and at State Farm drives.
The latest traffic collision analysis, which covers July to December 2011, from the city’s Department of Public Safety shows that the number of collisions generally has dropped since 2004 in the last half of those years. For 2011, 182 collisions were reported from July to December, down from 281 for those months in 2004.
Here are highlights of the report:
Worst time to drive:
2 to 4 p.m. had the most collisions of any two-hour period.
Sgt. Jason Krauss, who prepared the report, said his “subjective observation” was that “a lot of cars are out” 2 to 4 p.m. as people get off work, school ends and people are out shopping and generally just out and about.
Worst day of week:
Thursdays had the highest number of collisions, with a total of 39, although during the first half of 2011 it was Tuesdays with 28. Wednesdays had the lowest during both six-month periods, with 12 from January to July and 18 from July to December.
Worst month:
September with a total of 37 collisions, followed by October with 36 and December and March each with 31. Krauss said in the report that the end-of-the-year months’ high numbers were “most likely related to the start of the school year and the Christmas holiday.”
Worst intersection:
Rohnert Park Expressway at Redwood and State Farm drives had the most collisions in the last half of 2011, with five each.
Commerce Boulevard at Enterprise Drive and East Cotati Avenue at Bodway Parkway each had four.
Rohnert Park Expressway at Commerce Boulevard and Synder Lane at Jasmine Circle each had three.
Main causes of collisions:
Unsafe speed was cited in 36 collisions, unsafe turn in 27 and DUI in 14. In 47 crashes, the cause could not be determined.
Most common tickets:
Stop sign violations, with 168.
Unsafe speed, with 136.
Cellphone, including texting, with 128
Unlicensed driver/suspended license, with 122
Pedestrian safety:
Pedestrians were cited 26 times for failing to obey a no-walk sign, drivers 17 times for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and pedestrians 4 times for jaywalking.
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gweedore
250 tickets issued for unlicensed drivers and cell phone use,almost equals half of the tickets written….talk about easy money!!!
July 5th, 2012 6:54 am
Miles Kurland
In order to make any sense of statistics like “worst intersection”, you need to know the relative amounts of traffic each intersection has.
The relevant number has to be “accidents per capita”.
For example, one intersection may have 5 accidents – and 1,000 cars go through it per day. Another intersection may have 5 accidents and 10,000 cars go through it per day.
The second intersection is 10 times as safe as the first, even though a report that only lists the number of accidents misleadingly makes them look equally dangerous.
And an intersection which only has 3 accidents… but which only sees 250 cars go through it is much more dangerous than either of them!
July 5th, 2012 10:29 am
stephen
that’s what happens when the entire town centers around two main roads. So glad I don’t live there any more.
July 5th, 2012 10:41 am
Steve Kane
How about this? bicycles should have DMV plates. Just like motorcycles. This way when you see a bicycle run a light or stop sign you might have a chance in reporting it. Otherwise all you can say is the person in a bright spandx suit. Use the road, have a license.
July 5th, 2012 1:30 pm
John Donnelly
I am more surprised that the intersection of the 101 N offramp onto the Rohnert Park Expressway is not mentioned. I am a courrier in the area and I see more red lights run here at full speed than anywhere in the county except maybe Brush Creek road and Route 12. That and the people who seem to think the center lane is a left turn lane from the offramp rather tahn a right turn or a strait away into the park and ride. If the police are ever looking for funds from tickets, just park there for 24 hours.
July 5th, 2012 8:25 pm