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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