The intersection of Seminole Trail and Rio Road
2004 crashes: 155
Statistically speaking, the four blocks of Seminole Trail that include the Rio Road intersection constitute the most dangerous stretch of road in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Not only do cars veer across multiple lanes to hit the entrances of several popular shopping centers, but the intersection itself is a nightmare—72 lights governing 27 lanes. Chaos.
Thomas Jefferson Parkway
2004 crashes: 89; 1 fatality
Albemarle Police Cpl. Glenn Fink cites Highway 53, also known as the Thomas Jefferson Parkway, as an example of a once-rural road now choked with traffic. The road links Charlottesville with the ever-growing Fluvanna subdivision, Lake Monticello.
“These roads are not necessarily designed to carry the traffic that we’re seeing,” says Fink. “As Lake Monticello has grown, we’ve seen quite a few crashes on 53. As long as that road stays the way it is, that’s going to continue.”
Richmond Road/Ivy Road
2004 crashes: 97; two fatalities
Although Route 250 between Charlottesville and Crozet is straight and well paved, traffic snarls have become more commonplace as the County growth plan pumps thousands of new residents into Crozet.
“I live in Crozet,” says Albemarle Police Cpl. Glenn Fink. “On some mornings, I’ve seen traffic backed up about two miles from the bypass. What improvements are being done to 250? Nothing.”
Intersection of Seminole Trail and Hydraulic Road
2004 crashes: 72
This intersection covers an entire acre—half in the city, half in the county. With southbound drivers making sudden lane changes as they approach the 250 Bypass, and with northbound drivers contending with an odd array of traffic signals and sudden on-ramps, it’s no surprise this intersection breeds fender-benders like a swamp breeds mosquitoes.
“A lot of people are running red lights here,” says Charlottesville’s Sgt. Roberts. “Yellow means slow down, not speed up.”
Earlysville Road
2004 crashes: 3, 1 fatality
According to Albemarle County Police statistics, this winding road had only a few crashes last year—including a school bus that overturned. But with its hairpin turns and heavy traffic, Earlysville Road remains dangerous. It has also been the site of two recent hit-and-run accidents.
On November 7, a Ford pickup swerved into the oncoming lane and crashed into 27-year-old Peggy Breeden’s car as she was waiting to make a turn. The driver fled. Police later charged 47-year-old Stanley Shifflett in the incident.
On November 29, 19-year-old Martha Jones was driving north on Earlysville Road when she lost control of her Volkswagen Jetta, hit an embankment and overturned the car. According to a witness, Jones was trying to crawl from the wreckage when she was hit and killed by a passing pickup truck. After receiving two Crimestopper tips, police later charged 57-year-old Robert Newell with felony hit-and-run.
Barracks Road and Emmet Street
2004 crashes: 49
Our most dangerous intersection, thanks to traffic at our city’s most popular shopping center.
University/Emmet Street/ Ivy Road
2004 crashes: 24
Not only is this intersection plagued by heavy traffic, but drivers must also stay on the lookout for flip-flop-clad Wahoos darting across the street to and from nearby residence halls.
East Rio Road
2004 crashes: 135
A popular shortcut from Downtown to Rio/29, East Rio is another road that carries more traffic than it was ever designed to handle.
Seminole Trail at Forest Lakes
2004 crashes: 39
In general, crashes along Seminole Trail decrease north of Charlottesville, but this is an exception. At rush hour drivers veer in and out of Albemarle’s largest subdivision, and sometimes northbound drivers find it easy to let their guard down once they’ve crossed the Rivanna River.
250 Bypass at McIntire Road
2004 crashes: 29
Major traffic backups plague this intersection every afternoon. Think it’s bad now? Just wait until the Meadowcreek Parkway gets built. Note of irony: Thanks to an odd driveway, ambulances from the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad enter traffic right in the middle of the intersection.
America’s fondness for the automobile has been described as a “love affair.” It’s a love that hurts.
Driving, in fact, is one of the most dangerous things we do. Car crashes
kill about 41,000 people each year, and stand as the leading cause of death for people under 30. Cars send half a million people to the hospital and 4 million people to the emergency room each year.
Locally, the number of car crashes rose steadily between 1998 and 2003, and leveled off last year. In 2004 Albemarle County police handled about 3,300 accidents, in which 14 people died. In Charlottesville, there were 1,410 accidents and five fatalities.
This week we show you the most dangerous roads and intersections in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, as compiled from local police reports. Whether you’re on a scenic byway, a busy thoroughfare or just one of those screwy intersections that seem to be everywhere in the city, police make one important point— car crashes can happen anywhere, at any time, usually when you least expect it.
Despite pleas from mass-transit activists, we seem forever wedded to our cars—or, at least, to the idea of going wherever we want, whenever we want. The next time you’re driving one of these roads, though, put away your cell phone or your road rage.
“We live in a fast-paced society. We want things immediately,” says Charlottesville Police Sgt. Ronnie Roberts, who as head of the traffic division has seen too many “routine trips” from which drivers never return.
“It leaves a lot of tragedies for a lot of families in this community,” says Roberts. —John Borgmeyer
Safe driving tips
How to avoid becoming a statistic
Getting in the car is dangerous, but there are ways to keep safe.
Pay attention: Traffic violations cause about 89 percent of all accidents, so check yourself before you wreck yourself. Police also advise the old “defensive driving” technique: Don’t assume everyone else will do the right thing. When your signal turns green, take a second to check for light burners who might be running the red at high speed.
Buckle up: In nearly 60 percent of all traffic fatalities, the victim is not wearing a seat belt. In a crash at only 30 miles per hour, unrestrained passengers can be thrown forward with a force of 3.5 tons.
Call a cab: Alcohol accounts for 38 percent of all fatal car crashes. If death doesn’t scare you, maybe jail will. Last year Virginia passed 25 new drunk-driving laws, which mandate jail time and vehicle confiscation for repeat drunk driving offenders.
Shut up: According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, “inattention” accounts for 11 percent of all accidents. Charlottesville Police Sgt. Ronnie Roberts says he sees plenty of crashes resulting from drivers playing with their stereos and chatting on cell phones.
Leave your SUV in the driveway: Contrary to popular belief, SUVs are more dangerous—both to their drivers and others on the road—than cars and mini-vans. SUVs are more likely to flip, take longer to stop and are more difficult to control on slick roads. According to the Insurance Institutes for Highway Safety, insurance companies are responding by charging higher rates for liability insurance to cover SUVs. If you must drive an SUV, remember that drivers behind you cannot see past your Escalade, so proceed cautiously. Carrying lots of cargo or passengers raises your center of gravity, increasing the chances of a rollover.
Chill out: The best way to avoid accidents, says Roberts, is to simply slow down. Driving like a bat out of hell will increase your chances for a crash, but won’t save you much time. “We’re talking about one or two minutes,” says Roberts. “It’s just not worth an accident.”—J.B.
Who’s that jerk behind the wheel?
It could be you, mister
Idiots! Jerks! Morons! Complete, utter DIPSHITS!
Judging by the frequency and hostility of driver-related rants that appear in The Rant each week, we’re never so fed up with our neighbors as when we meet them on the road.
It’s easy to pin our anger on others, and to blame traffic accidents on the foolish behavior of other people. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles keeps detailed records of what causes crashes. Most occur when drivers violate a traffic rule, but the most common mistake is
simply not paying attention. With the wealth of fast-food drive-ins and electronic gadgets available to distract us, we could all eventually experience the momentary lapse of concentration that leads to
a crash.
According to the Virginia DMV, there were 154,848 crashes in the Commonwealth in 2003 (the most recent year for which this analysis is available). That year, 87 percent of those crashes involved some type of traffic violation. The DMV lists “inattention,” as the most common driver error, responsible for 11 percent of all crashes in 2003. The drivers, in fact, were probably paying attention—but not to the road.
“I think it’s been well documented here with crashes that have occurred with cell phones, or a person fooling with their stereo,” says Charlottesville Police Sgt. Ronnie Roberts. “The two largest factors we find are speed and alcohol.”
Statewide, speed and alcohol account for the same amount of crashes—about 7 percent. Alcohol-fueled crashes are clearly more dangerous than sober accidents. Speed causes 22 percent of all drunk driving accidents, and inebriated drivers cause nearly 40 percent of all fatalities.
While alcohol accounts for many of the most serious crashes, the DMV numbers show that good drivers mishandling normal circumstances cause the bulk of crashes. They could be any one of us.
Well, almost. There’s one more detail that, as a man, I’m personally reluctant to report. But, as a journalist, it’s my duty. For all the diatribes about “women drivers,” men are responsible for a majority of crashes in all age groups—about 56 percent of all Virginia crashes. Men account for about 80 percent of all alcohol-related crashes. Call a cab, fellas.—J.B.
4 dead on Scottsville Road
Route 20 South led in fatalities last year
A lot of our roads in the County were designed 30 years ago,” says Albemarle police Cpl. Glenn Fink. “They were never designed to handle the amount of traffic that’s on them today.”
Route 20 South is clearly one of those roads. It links Charlottesville with the growing town of Scottsville and leads all area roads in fatalities last year—four, in total.
On August 13, a 58-year-old Keswick woman was driving her Toyota Corolla north on Scottsville Road during a rainstorm. The car spun out in a curve and crossed the yellow line, where it was struck by a Ford F-150 pickup, killing the woman. The investigating officer concluded that the woman was not speeding, but the tires on her car were in poor condition and unable to maintain traction on the wet pavement.
The weather may have contributed to another fatal crash on September 27, when a 50-year-old woman ran her Jeep Grand Cherokee off the road and into a tree. Trapped in her car, the woman showed a weak pulse when a rescue team arrived, but she died before she could be extracted. According to police reports, the crash is still under investigation.
When Albemarle Police Officer Mike Scott was driving along Scottsville Road on October 28, he came upon a Jeep Cherokee that had left the road, hit a tree and was engulfed in flames. The driver,
a 23-year-old male, was still inside. According to the report, excess speed and, possibly, intoxication caused the crash.
The fourth fatal crash on Scottsville Road happened on November 14. A 26-year-old female lost control of her Saturn, which ran off the road and through a wooden fence before overturning onto its roof in a field. Police investigation found that the victim had “a long medical history” that may have contributed to the crash.
“You have to remember that the posted speed limit is for clear, dry conditions,” says Charlottesville Police Sgt. Ronnie Roberts, making the point with emotion in his voice. “In hazardous conditions, that’s not going to be the limit.”
Although Scottsville Road was the site of more fatal accidents than any other local road last year, police say it is not evidence of a trend. Albemarle Police Cpl. Fink shows a map of Albemarle County, with pushpins indicating fatal crashes during the past three years. Scottsville Road was the site of four fatal crashes in 2004, but in 2003 there were none on Route 20 South. “There is no pattern,” says Fink. “Fatalities can occur everywhere.”—J.B.