2 Die In Early Morning Pleasanton Big Rig-Car Collision; CHP Says Car Speeding At 100 MPH
PLEASANTON (CBS SF) -- Two Oakland men in a Lexus sedan traveling at approximately 100 miles per hour on Highway 680 in Pleasanton died early Friday when their vehicle collided with a big rig, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The collision occurred at 2:16 a.m. on southbound Interstate Highway 680 just north of Bernal Ave.
CHP officers said a 1996 Lexus sedan was traveling approximately 100 miles per hour when the vehicle collided into the rear of the truck.The Lexus then crashed into the center divider and right shoulder of the roadway.
The driver and a passenger in the Lexus were not wearing seatbelts, and the driver was ejected from the vehicle.
The driver of the Lexus, a 23-year-old man from Oakland, and the passenger, a 22-year-old man from Oakland, were both killed in the collision.
The driver of the semi-truck was not injured in the collision.
The accident was a sad reminder of a trend CHP officers say they have seen on the rise since the shelter in place shutdown began. More drivers are maxing out their speeds on the freeway, often going over 100 miles per hour.
"We are seeing a lot of individuals unfortunately taking advantage of the situation and we are seeing some highers speeds," said Ofc. John Fransen, the spokesperson for CHPs Golden Gate Division.
Highway Patrol offices across the Bay Area are posting pictures to social media showing speeding tickets or radar speeds. Almost show pictures of drivers who've been caught driving with speeds in the triple digits.
It's a trend that's backed up by newly released data. CHP looked at the number of speeding tickets written state-wide from March 19 to 29 last year compared to this year.
The number of tickets written to people going over the posted speed limit was basically cut in half, mostly because there are fewer cars on the road.
The number of tickets written to drivers going over 100 miles per hour is up more than 25% with 418 tickets written last year versus 543 citations this year during the same 10-day period.
