highway 17 Traffic Collisions Skyrocket

San Jose Mercury News ^ | April 14, 2017

[nickcarraway]

Traffic crashes on Highway 17 rose a staggering 34 percent last year to the highest level in at least 13 years, prompting the CHP to step up patrols on the scenic but treacherous road that serves as the primary link for thousands of commuters between Santa Cruz and the South Bay.

The 983 collisions in 2016 came during a winter of heavy rains and reduced enforcement, producing the highest tally since an intensive safety campaign kicked off in 2003 and the California Highway Patrol started tracking annual crashes, injuries and fatalities. And they were far higher than the 664 tallied in 2015.

“It’s not looking too good,” said Ginger Dykaar of the Safe on 17 committee, a coalition of three dozen traffic officials, police, firefighters and elected officials from Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties that has pushed for safety upgrades for nearly two decades. “We need to come up with solutions.” And fast.

Enter the CHP, which has six more officers who have just completed training and a couple ready to roll on 17 and adjacent routes. Since 2015, the CHP has had as few as two troopers working the four-lane highway from Scotts Valley to Los Gatos, though a half dozen had patrolled it before.

[Axenolith]

I used to do it about once a week before the barrier. After barrier, during dot com boom, I saw 2 car accidents that had 250k damage. A lot of people apparently though buying a 100k+ car conveys Earnhardt driving capabilities...

[clamper1797]

Did 120 around dead mans in the Corvette racing my brother in his Porsche 911 once ... in the Los Gatos to Santa Cruz direction. Whipped his ass. OH the old days ... young dumb and full of piss and vinegar

[spokeshave]

I don't know so much about Hwy17....

But I recall a lady zooming past me on 101 flossing her teeth

Had a box of floss wedged under the sun visor and used the mirror to see the flossing.

[Robert DeLong]

Doesn't surprise me a bit. But actually I have seen women do all kinds of crazy things while driving, no matter what part of the country I may be in at the time. 8>)

Some men are just as bad too.

I do remember when I first got a cell phone and paying too much attention to it one day and almost wrecked. But it took only one time and said it isn't worth getting in a wreck to try and use the cell phone. Even hands free now I still cut calls short because even talking can be a distraction.