City intersection tops in red-light wrecks

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Two of the city’s intersections have been listed

among the five worst in the county for accidents resulting from motorists

running red lights in 1999 -- including the worst of them all --

according to a report released Tuesday by the Auto Club of Southern

California.

Bristol Street North and Campus Drive received the dubious distinction

of topping the list with nine crashes occurring at that intersection

during the year.

The intersection of Jamboree Road and MacArthur Boulevard was a close

second with eight crashes.

But Newport Beach police officials argued Tuesday that neither the

numbers nor the list are accurate.

Bristol Street and Campus Drive are actually two separate

intersections, explained Newport Beach Police Sgt. Mike McDermott. The

Statewide Integrated Traffic Report System -- the California Highway

Patrol’s database where the Auto Club acquired the information -- lumped

the two intersections into one.

Plus, the city shares responsibility for that intersection with the

county, McDermott said.

He added that responsibility for the intersection of Jamboree Road and

MacArthur Boulevard is shared by the cities of Newport Beach and Irvine.

But Ann DaVigo, a spokeswoman for the CHP in Sacramento, said the

numbers came from Newport Beach police.

“In this case, the Newport Beach Police Department sent us the

reports,” she said. “We don’t actually go to the site and check out the

intersections.”

That disagreement aside, McDermott admitted that the city has had

problems with motorists running red lights.

“Writing more tickets seems to be the best solution,” he said.

To make that process easier for officers, the city in the last year

and a half has installed red-light indicator boxes at more than 50

locations, he said.

The indicator boxes are small units perched behind the actual traffic

light that reflect the red light as soon as the signal changes.

“That way, the officer who is positioned behind a traffic light gets

ahead of the violator and catches him or her,” explained McDermott. “It

has proved very effective for us so far.”

The city takes red-light violations seriously, he said.

“They’re the ones that often involve injury because of the speed at

which vehicles are moving,” McDermott said. “They want to make the

light.”

Such violations are most common near freeway onramps and offramps,

said Carol Thorp, spokeswoman for the Auto Club.

“A city can redesign intersections and do all sorts of things to

control this problem,” she said. “But ultimately it is the motorist who

must act responsibly.

“The solution is really pretty simple. When you see a red light, just

stop.”

QUESTION

o7 AT A CROSSROADSf7

In your opinion, what is the most dangerous intersection in the

Newport-Mesa area? Call our Readers Hotline at (949) 642-6086 or e-mail

your comments to o7 [email protected] . Please tell us your name

and hometown, and include a phone number (for verification purposes

only).

FYI

o7 The five worst intersections for red-light accidents in Orange

County, according to the Auto Club of Southern California:f7

1. Bristol Street North and Campus Drive, Newport Beach -- nine

crashes in 1999

2. Four intersections tie at eight crashes apiece:

* Jamboree Road and MacArthur Boulevard, Newport Beach

* Orangewood Avenue and Orange Freeway southbound offramp, Orange

* Jamboree Road and Walnut Avenue, Irvine

* Bridger and El Toro roads, Lake Forest

The Auto Club also reports that disregarding traffic controls is the

leading cause of vehicle collisions in urban areas of the United States,

accounting for 22% of crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for

Highway Safety. The economic impact of these crashes is an estimated $7

billion each year in medical costs, time off work, insurance hikes and

property damage.