26 replies to this topic

[Darth Lefty]

I'm scared of that stretch of Folsom Road, from Glenn to the freeway. Everyone is driving 60 mph and is confused by the each-different signals to get over the tracks. There nearly always seems to be some kind of accident being cleaned up, especially at Iron Point.

[4thgenFolsomite]

I drive the speed limit in town (because I don't think where you live should be a race track) and I get tail-gated on a fairly regular basis. In general people just need to slow down.

[jpow5]

I've noticed driving east during that time of evening some of the LED traffic lights are hard to see which light is lit. The setting sun shines right on them making them all look equally bright. I wonder if that contributed to 2nd accident at all?

[giacomo]

I've noticed driving east during that time of evening some of the LED traffic lights are hard to see which light is lit. The setting sun shines right on them making them all look equally bright. I wonder if that contributed to 2nd accident at all?

Just (11:35a) drove past another major accident at intersection of Blue Ravine (again!!!!) and Sibley. It was between two mid size SUV's and looks all air bags deployed properly and drivers out of vehicles. People slow down, pay attention and have patience. And don't run the red lights.

[tony]

Is it just me overreacting, or does it seem like there are entirely too many fatal vehicle accidents in the City of Folsom?

I realize the circumstances of this one are unique, but I'm shocked at the number of deaths on our roads over the last 6 months to a year, and these all happened along the routes that I drive every day.

Two statistics to remember: 1) most automobile crashes (few are accidents, although, this one may have been one of those) happen close to home, and 2) suburbia is generally not a very safe place to live with respect to traffic safety, as others have noted, primarily because of the high speeds and greater amount of driving people in suburban areas do as compared to those living in urban areas (rural areas are even worse). In fact, a 1996 study showed that comparing total risk of death from crime and automobile crashes, urban areas were actually safer than suburban ones. Why? Because the risk of death by violent crime wherever you live (barring the very worst neighborhoods) is far less than the risk of death from a crash. And the risk of death by traffic is 3 times higher in sprawling suburban areas such as Folsom that it is in urban areas.

Remember folks, getting in a car is the most dangerous thing most of us do on a regular basis. But way too many of us don't treat it that way. So, everybody SLOW down and get off the phone!

BTW, regardless of the determined "cause" of the subject tragedy, speed (the speed allowed on Blue Ravine and other suburban roads in Folsom and elsewhere) is certainly a significant factor in this man's death, even though the car that hit him (and was presumably not at fault) was turning left at the time, and surely driving slower than the speed limit. On roads limited to 35 mph, people rarely die in collisions. When the speeds are 45 mph and above, they often do. Yes, speed kills, even when it's legal. And that's just for motorists. For bicyclists and pedestrians it is far worse. A pedestrian hit by a car at 15 mph almost always survives. One hit by a car at 40 mph usually dies. At 55 mph, it's almost always fatal. Pedestrian Fatality Risk vs. Speed Yet, by state law, speed limits are set based on how fast motorists drive (the supposedly "reasonable person" criteria). With over 30,000 fatalities and hundreds of thousands of serious injuries every year in the US, maybe this is not so reasonable.

[folsom500]

These accidents on Blue Ravine are quite frequent as well as on Iron Point...I know of several deaths and many major injury accidents in these sections. From what I have seen most occur at lighted intersection but the one street that scares me the most ( although we have not had any accidents recently) is Turnpike turning left onto Blue Ravine... No light and a curve almost blocking the view of speeding cars coming up the street towards Sibley/Prairie City... the west bound traffic also has the start of an extra lane just before Turnpike that does not allow left turners to get into the lane easily.

and The DUDE is right- most of the speeders are in high end cars or SUVs and most are women...

[jpow5]

SacBee has an updated article that identifies the elderly driver, Mervyn Schnaidt, 86, of Shingle Springs.

from the articles comments:
He was a very healthy active 86 year old man who drove from Camino to Orangevale everyday to visit my grandma. We believe he may have had a stroke while driving home that day. That would explain the earlier accident and running a red light. I have been in a car with him and was always a very safe driver.

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee....d#storylink=cpy

[tony]

BTW, there was a crash in front of my office yesterday afternoon at Broadstone Parkway and Iron Point. Not sure what happened, but involved two cars, one turning. This is one of many that, as a bicyclist, scares me because, starting from a fresh green light leaving our parking lot, the green time is so short that cross traffic gets a green light by the time I get to the first left turn lane (and I am not a slow bicyclist). I've only been complaining about this one since the signal was installed close to 10 years ago. And this is only one of dozens that have way too short minimum green times.

[folsom500]

Maxine - just a personal observation - I am on the road in Folsom a lot and it is either the high end car or SUV claiming their right of way or some punk kid with his souped up small car... I have to call the women the predominate speeders though...
Women also seem to be more territorial when driving - but that is also just an observation...
I am a very defensive driver and observe all that is going on around me and keeping track of any outs I can use in case of a close call. I also am fond of cars so I pay alot of attention to them - make model year licence numbers to track the year and drivers.

I wont even count the suicidal maniacs on their ninja rockets going 100 mph down Prairie City Rd towards the freeway... but I sure hear them as I back up to it. This is especially true in the wee hours of the morning from 5- 7 am.

[eVader]

Interesting.. most of the self-entitled, distracted drivers talking on their cell phones are slow putzes with poor driving skills. Oh and for those holding the phone while driving with the other hand....that's not "hands-free" use of the phone and can be cited.

Eating, drinking, studying text books, applying makeup, fussing with kids in the back seat etc also shouldn't be done while operating a vehicle on the road.

I think is may not be the phones or speeding so much as people lacking courtesy and being focused on the task -- DRIVING. Go the speed limit, don't block cars behind you, watch for bikes/peds/kids/motocycles and other cars, let people in and smile.