PD Editorial: Lakeville Highway is too dangerous to ignore

Last week's tragic death of a baby in a three-car collision is the latest proof that something must be done about this dangerous roadway.|

The tragic death of an 8-month-old girl in a three-car collision is the latest proof that something must be done about Lakeville Highway, which is earning a dubious reputation as the most dangerous road in Sonoma County.

Five other people, including the baby's mother and three children, were severely hurt in a crash caused by a young driver crossing over double-yellow lines into oncoming traffic.

Thursday's crash was the fifth so far this month on Lakeville Highway - extending a startling trend on this increasingly busy two-lane road.

CHP statistics from the past five years show accidents on Lakeville increasing each year, from 31 in 2013 to 56 last year.

Lakeville Highway, which runs about 11 miles between Petaluma and Highway 37, has long been used by motorists and truckers traveling between Sonoma County and Interstate 80. It's also a popular detour for commuters trying to avoid the rush-hour slowdown in the Marin-Sonoma Narrows on Highway 101.

The number of vehicles using Lakeville has grown considerably in recent years as rising prices have forced more and more people who work or attend school in Sonoma County to look outside the area for affordable housing. The post-fire construction boom also has added to the traffic volume.

But the number of vehicles isn't the primary cause for the carnage.

A few accidents may be attributable to mechanical failures, but most of them are caused by drivers - speeding drivers, inebriated drivers, drivers trying to make unsafe passes, drivers focused on their cellphones or other distractions when they ought to have their eyes on the road.

No phone call, no text message, no appointment and certainly no cocktail is more important than someone's life.

“On roads like that, where speeds are over 45 miles per hour, there's very little room for error,” CHP officer Jon Sloat said Monday.

CHP has stepped up enforcement, but the number of accidents remains far too high.

So more needs to be done.

Petaluma is about to upgrade a short stretch of Lakeville within the city limits, but large segments of the road are under state and county jurisdiction.

On Aug. 6, the City Council unanimously approved $240,000 worth of improvements near the Kaiser Permanente medical campus on Petaluma's southeast edge, a stretch where drivers often increase speed or try to make last-second passes before the road narrows to a single lane in each direction.

The project includes a new merge lane and radar-equipped signs to alert drivers if they're going too fast. The work should be finished this fall.

No plans are in place for major improvements beyond the city limits, although Supervisor David Rabbitt said Sonoma County officials are looking into possible safety measures.

One common suggestion is a concrete median like the one added to Highway 37 after a cluster of serious crashes has been suggested. But a barrier would complicate access to a number of residences along Lakeville Highway.

In the longer term, the county is one of several jurisdictions working to ease traffic congestion on Highway 37, which might in turn reduce the number of aggravated motorists trying to make up lost time on Lakeville Highway.

For now, if you use Lakeville Highway, slow down, stay alert and be careful out there.

You can send a letter to the editor at letters@pressdemocrat.com

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.