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Distracted and dangerous Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Two drivers run a red light at Biddle and McAndrews roads in Medford. Insurance companies, police and many drivers agree - people who run red lights are one of the worst dangers on the road today. Medford police may soon install automatic red-light cameras at several Medford intersections. Drivers caught in the act would receive via mail photos of their car's license plate and the driver, along with a citation. Cities that have used similar systems have experienced a dramatic drop in red-light runners and related accidents. Inattentive drivers are the biggest menace, police say By JILL BRISKEY Oliver Towne knows the driver who almost ran him down last year in the intersection of McAndrews and Biddle roads in Medford never had a clue. "I started walking as soon the signal went off, and here comes this fellow," Towne, 24, recalls of his attempt to cross Biddle Road on his way to BiMart that day in October. "I felt his car brush past my pant leg. It was that close. The dude never even saw me." Towne, who moved from Central Point to Eugene this month, said the motorist - who had turned right on a red light without looking at the crosswalk - was yakking on a cell phone the entire time. 'Please slow down' signs available Tired of speeders blasting through your neighborhood? Want to send them a message? We can help you out. As part of the "Driving Me Crazy" series on traffic problems in the Rogue Valley, 2,500 signs with the message "Please slow down" will be made available to area residents. The signs are being provided free of charge through a cooperative effort by the Mail Tribune, KTVL-TV and Lithia Motors. The signs may be picked up beginning Tuesday morning at the Mail Tribune, KTVL or any Lithia Motors outlet. The signs may be posted on private property, but should not be put up on public rights of way. "The guy behind that idiot got out to make sure I was OK," Towne said. "Talk about your bad drivers." From clueless cell phone users to wannabe race car drivers, aggressive motorists or red light runners, Medford Police Sgt. Bob Hansen said Medford motorists who present the biggest danger to pedestrians and other drivers usually have one thing in common. "People are in a big hurry and they get distracted," Hansen said. "It's the most common thing we see. People are following too close, or it's a case of failure to yield to the right of way. It's mainly driver inattention." According to the state Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, human error is the most common cause of traffic accidents in Oregon. The top three factors that usually cause collisions, DMV officials report, are excessive speed, lack of concentration and improper evasive action. In Medford, Hansen said, traffic collisions most often take place in intersections. And it's usually a case of driver inattention, he said. All to often, motorists who fiddle with the radio or conversing with passengers never see the danger before it's too late. "People need to slow down and pay attention to what they're doing," Hansen said. "Expect the other person to do the wrong thing." In 2000, 24 crashes took place at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Barnett Road in Medford. Twenty accidents occurred at the Central Avenue and Fourth Street intersection, 19 at McAndrews Road and Court Street and 18 at Riverside Avenue and Jackson Street - the most dangerous intersections in the city, according to Medford police statistics. "People are in a rush. You have vehicles coming in cross directions at intersections," Hansen said. "Maybe it's part of the lifestyle we lead. Everybody's in too big of a rush these days." Getting residents to slow down on Jackson County roadways is major goal for Traffic Safety Coordinator Gregory Halley of the sheriff's department. "Speed is a factor in at least 50 percent of all accidents," Halley said. "People who drive too fast present one of the biggest dangers on the road." In 2000, 22 people died in traffic accidents in Jackson County. Three of those deaths were attributed to speed, Halley reported, while six were attributed to loss of control through driver error. A driver's speed at the time of an accident has a lot to do with the results of a collision, Hansen said. "It can determine how much damage there is," he said. "The faster you're going, the greater the chance of injury and damage." Medford police issued an estimated 2,000 citations to motorists violating the basic rule (speeding) in 2000. The Central Point office of the Oregon State Police reported citing 2,336 drivers for speeding in 55 mph areas during 2000. Also last year, state police issued 1,638 citations to drivers in 65 mph zones in Southern Oregon. With both speed and inattention factored into his near collision, Towne said the only thing that saved him from being "splattered like a bug" was luck. "That guy that almost hit me, he wasn't just going fast, he was oblivious to me and the rest of the world," Towne said. "Look at the size of the Rogue Valley. Guys like him need to realize the road doesn't belong to just one person." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.