Every driver has experienced a confusing or dangerous intersection — lanes that don’t line up, signals that don’t make sense, or blind corners that force risky decisions. But beyond frustration, these poorly designed intersections can have deadly consequences. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), more than 25% of all traffic fatalities in the United States occur at or near intersections. The design of these intersections often plays a larger role in crashes than driver error alone.
Showing posts with label fatalities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fatalities. Show all posts
Manhattan Beach Pedestrian Deaths and DUI Crashes on PCH / Sepulveda Boulevard
Manhattan Beach, CA – The stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard (Pacific Coast Highway/PCH) between Artesia Boulevard and 9th Street has become one of the most dangerous roadways in the South Bay for pedestrians and drivers. Over the past six months, this corridor has seen multiple fatal crashes, including three pedestrian deaths and a suspected DUI collision, raising urgent concerns among residents and safety advocates.
⚠️ May 3, 2025 – Fatal Suspected DUI Crash on Sepulveda Blvd
At approximately 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, May 3, a pedestrian was fatally struck in the area of Sepulveda Boulevard and Duncan Place. According to the Manhattan Beach Police Department (MBPD):
-
Officers found the victim lying on the roadway next to the suspect’s vehicle.
-
The driver remained on scene and was suspected of being under the influence.
-
The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.
This incident is being investigated as a DUI-related fatality.
🟥 April 19, 2025 – Fatal Hit-and-Run on PCH at Ocean Avenue in Torrance
Just two weeks prior, on April 19, a separate fatal hit-and-run occurred on Pacific Coast Highway at Ocean Avenue in Torrance, resulting in the death of a pedestrian.
According to the Torrance Police Department:
-
Officers responded to reports of a person down in the roadway.
-
The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
-
The suspect vehicle fled and has not yet been located.
The incident remains under investigation, and authorities urge any witnesses to come forward.
This highlights a growing regional problem across South Bay cities, with dangerous driving behaviors contributing to pedestrian fatalities on major corridors like PCH.
💥 Other Major Pedestrian Fatalities on Sepulveda Blvd
December 16, 2024 – Pedestrian Killed Near 9th Street
A 72-year-old man, Michael Kawasaki, was struck and killed in the 900 block of Sepulveda Blvd. The driver stayed on scene and cooperated with police.
January 7, 2025 – Fatal Hit-and-Run Near Longfellow Drive
In a hit-and-run crash on the 300 block of Sepulveda Blvd, one person was killed and another critically injured. The suspect was later apprehended.
📉 Why Sepulveda Boulevard Is So Dangerous
1. Hilly Terrain with Limited Visibility
Sepulveda Blvd features steep hills, with intersections like 9th Street and Duncan Place located at hill crests or bases, which significantly limits driver line of sight. Drivers may not see pedestrians or vehicles until it’s too late.
2. Poor Lighting and Infrastructure
Lack of pedestrian lighting, unmarked crosswalks, and minimal safety buffers increases the risk of night-time accidents.
3. High Speeds and Traffic Volume
Though the posted limit is 40–45 mph, many drivers exceed this, especially at night. Coupled with limited visibility, this creates extremely hazardous conditions.
4. Multiple Business Entrances
The corridor is lined with businesses and driveways, causing sudden stops and turns that add to collision risk.
🚔 City Response: Plans to Improve PCH Safety
The City of Manhattan Beach is reviewing multiple safety upgrades, including:
-
Flashing pedestrian crosswalks
-
Improved street lighting
-
Speed feedback signs
-
Raised medians for pedestrian refuge
-
DUI checkpoints and increased patrols
📝 Summary: Recent Fatal Incidents (Nov 2024 – May 2025)
| Date | Location | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2025 | Sepulveda & Duncan Place (MB) | Suspected DUI | 1 pedestrian fatality |
| Apr 19, 2025 | PCH & Ocean Ave (Torrance) | Hit-and-run | 1 pedestrian fatality |
| Jan 7, 2025 | Sepulveda & Longfellow (MB) | Hit-and-run | 1 fatality, 1 critical injury |
| Dec 16, 2024 | Sepulveda & 9th Street (MB) | Pedestrian struck | 1 fatality |
🚶 Safety Tips for South Bay Drivers and Pedestrians
Pedestrians:
-
Cross only at signalized or marked crosswalks
-
Wear reflective gear at night
-
Avoid distractions like smartphones and headphones
Drivers:
-
Obey posted speed limits
-
Be vigilant in low-visibility zones
-
Never drive under the influence
-
Yield to pedestrians at crosswalks and driveways
Don't drive in the far right lane
Don't park on PCH
⚠️ Final Thoughts
With multiple pedestrian deaths across Manhattan Beach and Torrance in just a few months, Sepulveda Boulevard and PCH are proving increasingly deadly. Local governments, police departments, and residents must act now to enhance safety and hold reckless drivers accountable before more lives are lost.
Chicago Traffic Fatalities Chart 2018-2014
Chicago City Council Committee Considers Lowering Speed Limits, Expanding Traffic Camera Enforcement
Tragic Johnny Gaudreau Bike Crash on Pennsville Auburn Road Raises Concerns About Road Safety
This accident is part of a troubling pattern on this stretch of road, known for its narrow lanes and limited visibility. Local residents have long expressed concerns about the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, urging authorities to take action.
Past Incidents and Calls for Safety Improvements
In addition to this recent tragedy, Pennsville Auburn Road has been the site of several other serious incidents over the years. The mix of residential areas and busy throughways has made it a hotspot for accidents, particularly those involving speeding and distracted driving.
Residents are calling for improved lighting, better signage, and the introduction of dedicated bike lanes. The hope is that this high-profile incident will lead to meaningful changes that can prevent future tragedies.
Conclusion
The loss of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau serves as a stark reminder of the dangers present on certain roads. As the investigation continues, the community hopes that this tragedy will lead to enhanced safety measures on Pennsville Auburn Road and similar roadways across the region.
Pedestrian Fatalities National Map
In recent years, pedestrian fatalities have been a significant concern in traffic safety. In 2019, for example, there were 6,205 pedestrian fatalities reported in the United States. This represented a 46% increase from the number of pedestrian fatalities reported in 2010. It's worth noting that the number of pedestrian fatalities can fluctuate year to year due to various factors, including changes in population, road conditions, traffic patterns, and safety initiatives.
The number of pedestrian fatalities reported each year in the United States has varied. However, it is important to note that these figures are subject to change and should be verified with the latest data from reliable sources such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or other relevant authorities.
Some common factors that have been identified as contributing to pedestrian fatalities include:
Vehicle Speed: Higher vehicle speeds increase the likelihood and severity of pedestrian fatalities. Collisions at higher speeds leave pedestrians with less time to react and reduce the chances of avoiding or surviving an impact.
Impaired Driving: Alcohol or drug impairment significantly impairs a driver's ability to react and make sound judgments, increasing the risk of pedestrian accidents and fatalities.
Distractions: Distracted driving, such as texting, talking on the phone, or interacting with in-vehicle technology, diverts a driver's attention from the road and pedestrians, increasing the risk of accidents.
Intersection-related incidents: Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable at intersections, where vehicle-pedestrian conflicts are more likely to occur. Factors like red-light running, failure to yield right-of-way, or improper turning contribute to pedestrian fatalities.
Poor Visibility: Low-light conditions, lack of street lighting, or pedestrians wearing dark clothing can decrease visibility for both drivers and pedestrians, increasing the risk of accidents.
Age: Children and older adults are considered more vulnerable to pedestrian accidents due to factors such as limited mobility, unpredictable behavior, or reduced ability to assess traffic situations.
No One Driving Tesla in Fatal Crash - Map of Location in Texas
SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- Two people died in a fiery crash involving a 2019 Tesla Model S and its autopilot functionality while taking it for a test drive on Saturday night, according to authorities.
Constable Mark Herman said one person was found in the front passenger seat and another in the back seat. Both died in the fire.
The flames reportedly took hours to extinguish, and Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said the investigation has led them to believe that there was no one driving the car when the crash occurred.
The crash happened just after 9 p.m. on Hammock Dunes Place in the Carlton Woods Creekside subdivision. The victims were said to have been two men who were 59 and 69 years old, however police have not released their names yet.
Firefighters and medics were called to the scene after reports of an explosion in the woods after the Tesla ran off the road, authorities said.
The Tesla was traveling from a cul-de-sac on Hammock Dunes Place and did not negotiate a curve. The vehicle crashed into a tree before bursting into flames.
Constable Herman said the 2019 Tesla Model S was traveling on a roadway and at some point, the vehicle, which deputies said was traveling at a high rate of speed, came to a slight curve. Deputies say the car went off the roadway, crashed into a tree and burst into flames.
Crews found two bodies inside the vehicle, a man in the front passenger seat and another man in the back passenger seat.
The batteries on board the Tesla continued to ignite despite efforts to douse the flames, authorities said. It reportedly took around four hours and more than 30,000 gallons of water before firefighters decided to let the fire burn itself out.
KPRC 2 reporter Deven Clarke spoke to one man’s brother-in-law who said he was taking the car out for a spin with his best friend, so there were just two in the vehicle. The owner, he said, backed out of the driveway, and then may have hopped in the back seat only to crash a few hundred yards down the road. He said the owner was found in the back seat upright.
No One Driving Tesla in Fatal Crash - Map of Location in Texas from r/SelfDrivingCars
Top 10 Causes of Death Among People Ages 15-29 Years
Over 1.2 million people die each year on the world’s roads, with millions more sustaining serious injuries and living with long-term adverse health consequences. Globally, road traffic crashes are a leading cause of death among young people and the main cause of death among those aged 15–29 years.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29 years.
There are several reasons why road traffic accidents pose a significant risk to young people. Some factors include:
Inexperience: Young drivers often have less experience behind the wheel, which can lead to poor judgment, lack of anticipation of hazards, and inadequate decision-making skills while driving.
Risky behavior: Young people are more likely to engage in risky behaviors while driving, such as speeding, distracted driving (e.g., texting or talking on the phone), drunk driving, and not wearing seat belts. These behaviors increase the chances of accidents and fatalities.
Peer pressure: Peer influence can play a role in encouraging risky behavior on the road. Young drivers may feel compelled to take risks or show off in front of their friends, increasing the likelihood of accidents.
Lack of seat belt use: Many young people neglect to wear seat belts while driving or riding as passengers. Seat belts significantly reduce the risk of fatal injuries in the event of a crash, and the absence of seat belt usage can be particularly dangerous for young people.
Addressing the issue of road traffic accidents among young people requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes:
Education and awareness: Promoting road safety education programs targeted at young people to increase their awareness of the risks and consequences of unsafe driving behaviors.
Enforcing traffic laws: Implementing strict traffic laws and enforcing them effectively to deter risky behavior on the road. This includes measures such as speed limits, seat belt laws, and penalties for drunk driving.
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs: Graduated licensing systems that gradually introduce young drivers to more complex driving situations and restrictions on high-risk activities can help reduce accidents among novice drivers.
Technology and infrastructure improvements: Implementing advanced safety features in vehicles, such as electronic stability control, collision avoidance systems, and improved road infrastructure, can help prevent accidents and minimize the severity of injuries.
Efforts to address road traffic accidents among young people should involve collaboration between governments, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, parents, and the community at large to create a safer driving environment and instill responsible behavior on the road.
Read more
700 Pedestrians Die Every Day Wordwide
We talk a great deal about how cars congest our cities and pollute the atmosphere. We talk less about how they keep killing and injuring people simply trying to get from A to B on two feet.
Lately, our auto industry conversation about road safety has been dominated by visions, sold by Silicon Valley, of vehicles that minimize or even eliminate the need for input from a fallible human driver. Every year, more cars come armed with “pedestrian detection and avoidance” systems; soon, these systems will likely be standard issue. And not long after that, we are promised, sensors and self-improving algorithms will take over the driving process altogether, eliminating human error from roads and ushering in a new golden age of safety for all their users, whether or not they’re cocooned by a car’s steel frame. Since 2017, General Motors, the US’s largest car manufacturer, has claimed that it is developing self-driving vehicles in the service of a “triple-zero” world: zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.
Car companies swear they are here to help – by selling us products that hardly ever hit anyone or anything. But the truth is that this promise is, at best, a distraction. In fact, much of our discourse around cars, self-driving or otherwise, is less about transforming the status quo than maintaining it, obscuring paths to progress exactly when we need them most, and leaving pedestrians right in the line of fire.
Ask a room full of road safety experts what is causing pedestrian fatalities to increase and most will admit that, well, they are not exactly sure. Every time a car hits a pedestrian, it represents the intersection of a vast number of variables. At the level of those involved, there is the question of who is distracted, reckless, drunk. Zooming out, there are factors such as the design and condition of the road, the quality (or absence) of a marked pedestrian crossing, the speed limit, the local lighting, the weight and height of the car involved. In a crash, all these variables and more converge at high speed in real-world, non-laboratory conditions that make it hard to isolate the influence of each variable.
Ask that same room of road safety experts a slightly different question – not exactly why US pedestrians fatalities have risen lately, but instead why the US has more of them than any other wealthy country – and the answers will come flooding out. In recent months, after conversations with more than a dozen such experts, I became familiar with a particular tone of voice: deep frustration at how obvious it all is, but wrapped in a package of professional cheeriness.
Here is what the frustrated safety experts will tell you: Americans are driving more than ever, more than residents of any other country. More of them than ever are living in cities and out in urban sprawl; a growing number of pedestrian fatalities occur on the fringes of cities, where high-volume, high-speed roads exist in close proximity to the places where people live, work, and shop.
Speed limits have increased across the country over the past 20 years, despite robust evidence that even slight increases in speed dramatically increase the likelihood of killing pedestrians (car passengers, too – but the increase is not as steep, thanks to improvements in the design of car frames, airbags and seatbelts). American road engineers tend to assume people will speed, and so design roads to accommodate speeding; this, in turn, facilitates more speeding, which soon enough makes higher speed limits feel reasonable. And more Americans than ever are zipping around in SUVs and pickup trucks, which, thanks to their height, weight and shape are between two and three times more likely to kill people they hit.
More fundamentally, the US is the country in the world most shaped, physically and culturally, by the presumption that the uninterrupted flow of car traffic is an obvious public good, one that deserves to trump all others in the road planning process. Many of its younger cities are designed almost entirely around planning paradigms in which pedestrians were either ignored or factored only as nuisances.
There is no greater symptom of this worldview than the recurring focus on mobile phones, especially smartphones and their tendency to monopolise our limited attention. Road signs warning against phone use while driving are so commonplace that they almost blend into the landscape. Parents make their kids promise they won’t use their phones while driving. Kids nod and promise they won’t. Phone-tracking studies indicate that most of them do it anyway and that their parents do, too.
In recent years, America’s fear of the distracted driver expanded to include the distracted walker. This is a replay of an old phenomenon: it was the US that invented the concept of the “jaywalker”, a “jay” being an unsophisticated person from the country who did not even know how to walk correctly. In the US, much like anywhere that cars have taken hold, drivers screaming at pedestrians (and cyclists) that they are doing it wrong is a fixture of national life. More recently, numerous states and cities, including San Francisco and New York, have launched public campaigns against inattentive walking, as has the US National Safety Council. Some jurisdictions have passed, or sought to pass, bills that would make using a smartphone while crossing the road an offence punishable by fine. On Twitter, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has weighed in on the pedestrian safety crisis primarily by coaching pedestrians on how to protect themselves. “When you are walking, be predictable”, advises @NHTSAgov.
Safety experts are not terribly excited about pedestrian avoidance technology. It wasn’t that they doubted it might save some pedestrian lives. Instead, their recurring concern was that it reflects an ongoing focus on individual shortcomings – on flawed drivers and walkers – and a neglect of flaws built in to the roads they are forced to use.
“Pedestrian detection will probably help a bit,” says Dan Albert, author of Are We There Yet?, a history of American car culture. “But at the same time, it’s pretty clear that these problems can be addressed without hi-tech solutions. And so what are the car companies up to? It’s not just about some altruistic desire for safety, or they would be including these systems on all of their cars, which very few companies are doing. It’s more about creating a range of products that allows them to maximise profit.”
Of course, people can learn to understand new tools. More troubling is the fact that very little robust evidence has been available as to pedestrian avoidance systems’ real-world benefits. The organisations rating these systems do so based on tests conducted in laboratories and on test tracks, but it has not yet been reliably established how well these tests predict performance on actual roads, with real live pedestrians instead of crash test dummies (not to mention variable light and rain conditions).
The self-driving car “space” is flooded in loose cash. This is why pedestrian avoidance systems are becoming ubiquitous. Investment dollars have both improved the required parts and programmes and pushed down their cost. Otherwise, they would not be affordable enough to sell to any but the richest car-buyers. Meanwhile, the race continues. The tech companies keep saying they are almost there (they know they said they were almost there before, but this time is different, they promise). Almost every major car company has partnered with a lab developing self-driving car technology, either because they think it might become a requirement to stay in business, or because enough of their shareholders think so that they need to make a show of playing along.
One night in March 2018, a 49-year-old woman named Elaine Herzberg was pushing a bicycle laden with grocery bags across a four-lane road in Tempe, Arizona when she was struck and killed by a Volvo X90 operating under the control of Uber’s self-driving software. As is standard practice, a backup safety driver, employed by Uber, was sitting in the car, the idea being that she would take over in the case of error. 1.3 seconds before impact, Uber’s software calculated that emergency braking was called for. According to Uber, self-braking had been turned off to reduce jerky and unpredictable behaviour. With less than a second to go, the safety driver tried––and failed––to swerve away. (The post-crash investigation indicated that she had probably been watching the singing contest The Voice on her phone.) News outlets around the world covered Herzberg’s death in obsessive detail, asking whether it indicated that autonomous vehicles were less “ready” than we had been led to believe.
But, just as the original quest for autonomous vehicles had nothing to do with pedestrian safety, concern over Herzberg’s death often felt curiously divorced from concern for pedestrians in general. Herzberg was killed in March 2018. Between January and June of that year, 124 pedestrians were killed in Arizona, more than all but four other states in absolute terms, and more than all but one on a per capita basis. It goes without saying that none of these pedestrians’ names are known around the world, or that any of them generated a slurry of commentary about whether the American transportation environment is “safe enough” or “as safe as it should be”.
In the US, meanwhile, it remains the case that pedestrian advocates have failed to engineer the cultural process that transforms a scattered mass of dead and injured bodies into a widely recognized problem. They have not come close. When two Boeing 737s went down, killing 346 people, it triggered multiple government investigations. Crash reconstruction and analysis experts showed up. Corporate spokespeople apologized, began handing out checks to victims’ families and swore to do better. Journalists searched for explanations. But cars kill a 737’s worth of American pedestrians every couple of weeks. Internationally, it is more than three 737s per day. And the news cycle barely stutters.
In 2017, for the first time, each US state was required to submit road fatality reduction targets to the federal government. Most states set extremely limited goals: Wisconsin, for example, aimed to have 342 pedestrian fatalities, instead of 361. Several set a rather fatalistic goal of no reduction at all. Eighteen states went a step further, setting as their target an increase in their pedestrian death count. It is not that they want more pedestrians to die. But they know that people are likely to be driving more, they know what their roads are like and they know the laws of physics. Unlike the unending stream of hype coming from the autonomous car sector, these dour projections received no coverage outside of traffic reform circles. Unfortunately, they are more likely to contain the truth.
Read the full article here.
How to Choose a Truly Safe Car: Four Things to Look Out For
We
would all like to stay safe on the roads, even those of us prone to the odd boy
racer moment, so when we’re looking for a vehicle to buy, one of the first
things we should assess is its safety credentials. This applies to every make
and model; whether you’re buying new from a top-of-the-range showroom in London
or looking for a bog-standard used car in
Nottingham, the rules are still the same.
So
what, exactly, should you be keeping an eye out for? Here are four essentials
that you must always check are present…
#1:
Strong Frontal Crash Test Results
The most common type of collision is a head-on one, and this means that good
frontal crash test results are essential. There is absolutely no need for you
to leave your safety to chance, for this information has been fully compiled
for you in advance of the vehicle ever being released, and the outcomes can be
easily found online for
anyone who wants to take a look at them. Remember, the higher the score, the
less likely you are to be seriously injured or killed in an accident.
#2:
Side Crashworthiness
Side-on
collisions are the second most common type of accident, and the most likely to
be fatal, which is why any vehicle you choose should also have good side-on
crash test results, plus side airbags to protect you from head injuries. Pick
one of the models ranked as ‘good’ in these trials, and you’re 70 percent less
likely to die in such a crash than you would be in a vehicle rated as ‘poor’.
#3:
A Strong Roof
You
also ought to keep an eye out for cars that have been rated highly with regards
to the strength of their roofs. The reason for this is simple: you want a
vehicle that will hold up in the event of a rollover crash. This type of rating
is only available for models released after 2008, but even with older cars, you
can probably gain some idea of how they would rank by doing a little bit of
research online.
#4:
Head Restraints
Additionally,
you really should pick a model that is noted to have a ‘good’ seat/head
restraint score, as this will significantly lessen the likelihood of a whiplash
injuries if your car is hit from behind. Those who own vehicles with such a
rating is shown to be 15 percent less likely to make an insurance claim for
neck injuries, which says all that needs to be said.
Stay
safe on the roads today: follow our four top tips above to reduce your risks,
and lessen the likelihood of you being injured in an accident.
How Many Accidents Occur at Stop Sign Intersections?
National statistics reveal that one-third of all intersection crashes in the United States occur at stop sign controlled intersections – approximately 700,000 crashes annually. And more than 40% of fatal crashes that take place each year happen at stop sign intersections.
- Common reasons why people run stop signs include:
- Inattention
- Impatience
- Failure to come to a complete stop, referred to as a rolling stop
- Obstructed view
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Driving under the influence.
Most Dangerous Intersections in California
A new study shows the most dangerous intersections in California that have 10 or more accidents, injuries, or fatalities. based on motor vehicle collision data from 2015. There were 444 total intersections ranked from the 435,000 compiled collision records, according to the data by Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS).
In total, there were 7,294 crashes, 7,478 injuries, and 57 fatalities. The average number of accidents per dangerous intersection was 16.43 and for injuries, it was 16.84. The City of Sacramento had the second-highest total number of dangerous intersections (13) trailing only Los Angeles (221), which is a noticeable difference. Estey & Bomberger created the map and correlated the data.
We took the intersections and added them to our map of over 9,000 locations Nationwide. Do a search for "California" and you will find these ranked locations.
Fatal Car Accidents at Intersections in Florida Heatmap
 |
| Florida Fatal Car Accidents Heatmap |
Fatal Car Accidents at Intersections Heatmap Reported to FARS
 |
| Fatal Car Accidents at Intersections Heatmap Reported to Federal Accidents Reporting System (FARS) from 2010-2015 |
Dangerous Redondo Beach Pedestrian PCH Intersection
PCH and Vincent Needs A Crosswalk Upgrade
Pacific Coast Highway and Vincent Street in Redondo Beach is apparently a problem according to this fatal accident back in 2014. Redondo Beach Union High School is across the street and can imagine there is a lot of student and kids crossing the street on a daily basis. I almost experienced an issue last night. I could hardly see an older woman crossing the street. See our Dangerous Intersections map of other problematic intersections in the area.