Irvine Car Accidents Caused by Dangerous Intersection

Despite a low crime rate and master-planned streets, Irvine like many California cities has its unwanted share of car accidents. The California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) reported in 2006 that 11 people lost their lives in Irvine car accidents and 869 were injured. Auto accidents where alcohol played a factor took four lives and injured 61. Motorcycle accidents killed one person and injured 52.

Irvine recently zeroed in on some factors that may be responsible for these car accident statistics. Among the many problems is the intersection at Culver and Michelson. High traffic volume, repeat driving violations and high-speed limits have made this the most dangerous intersection in the city. In 2004, it had 12 traffic accidents, the highest in Irvine. The intersection near Michelson has the double problem of merging traffic and busy driveways. Two lanes quickly converge to one lane in the same area as a bus stop and two driveways. One driveway feeds a gas station and the other serves a shopping center. Other traffic problems include:

Drivers making U-turns in medians on Culver before the intersection

Excessive traffic and not enough parking due to nearby UCI and Park West

Drivers turning left illegally out of the shopping center onto Michelson

Lack of a signal across Michelson between the Wholesome Choice market and residences

Poor driver visibility of pedestrians in crosswalk near the Wholesome Choice market

High posted speed limits on the west side of Michelson of 45 mph

Culver and Michelson has been a major problem for Irvine," noted John Bisnar. "In September of 2006, a tragic car accident claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy as he was riding along Michelson. Better traffic enforcement and reduced speeds on these roads can prevent car accidents and injuries."

Alarmed by these car accidents and injuries, Irvine has taken a multi-faceted approach to improve traffic safety. In addition to dealing with its problem streets, the city has implemented some high-tech solutions to control red light runners--a major cause of some very tragic car accidents and deaths across the U.S. New video systems now monitor and detect violations at many of the city's streets. They record images of traffic violations, transmit the images electronically and issue citations. The system also has a collision avoidance feature that can delay cross traffic from entering an intersection while a violator runs a red light. Red-light-runners are not only captured on video--often from various angles--but also a color close-up of both the front and rear license plates of the vehicle are recorded.

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