Number Of Crashes On Highway 17 Highest In A Decade
LOS GATOS (CBS SF) -- The California Highway Patrol responded to nearly 200 injury crashes on a stretch of Highway 17 from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz - the highest number of accidents in a decade.
Penny Siler of the Summit House Bar & Grill drives the stretch of highway regularly.
"We drive carefully because we know that if you make one mistake, it could be fatal for somebody else," Siler said. She says she was nearly rear ended just this past week.
"The traffic slowed down, I slowed down almost to a stop, but the car behind me didn not see me slow down. He came right at me. If there hadn't been a turn out on the right, he would have hit me," Siler said.
From the Summit, Siler has a clear view from the restaurant of just how dangerous the highway can be.
"We see ambulances, and we have the helicopter pad right here. And, in the last two weeks, we've seen two helicopters come with two ambulances taking the patients away," Siler said.
In 2014, the CHP reported three fatal crashes, and another 171 injury crashes. The CHP says a growing reason for the crashes is people on their cell phones. Another reason is speeding.
A task force called Safe On 17 dedicates time to trying to bring down the number of crashes on the highway. Since they formed, the numbers have decreased from 260 injury crashes in their first year, down to 174 in 2014.
