2 Fatalities Mar Calm New Year’s Holiday

San Diegans generally behaved themselves on the first day of 1985, intent more on nursing hangovers, storing away Christmas decorations, enjoying the beautiful weather and watching hours of televised football than on continuing their holiday revelry.

San Diego County’s only traffic fatalities from midnight Sunday until 8 p.m. Tuesday occurred at 3:25 a.m. Tuesday in Clairemont when a 31-year-old San Diego man lost control of his car, which slid sideways and slammed into a utility pole on Balboa Avenue just west of Mount Culebra Avenue, authorities reported.

Two of the six occupants of the car were ejected and killed in the one-car collision. The car was driven by Richard William Stewart. San Diego Police are still investigating the accident.

Killed in the crash were Fiona Elizabeth Griffiths, 31, of Pacific Beach, and Kim Arvid Natwick, 29, of Irvine, said deputy coroner George Dickason. Another passenger, Paula Miller, 28, of El Cajon, was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital with severe head injuries and was listed there in serious condition.

Each of the three other occupants of the car--Stewart, John Howard Peacock, 30, of San Diego, and Stephanie Smith, 22, of La Jolla, were treated for minor injuries and released, authorities said.

The only other fatalities since the New Year’s weekend began at 6 p.m. Friday occurred Sunday. Jacqueline Downey, 22, of Lemon Grove was killed early Sunday when her car skidded off Interstate 805 in Sorrento Valley. Sunday night, a 42-year-old El Cajon man, Ted Bean, was killed when his car struck a tree along Sunrise Highway, south of Kitchen Creek Road in East County.

Last year one person was killed over the three-day New Year’s holiday weekend.

Countywide, at least 129 motorists were arrested for drunk driving between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, police reported.

The California Highway Patrol made 49 arrests for drunk driving during the 24-hour period, while San Diego police arrested 46 drunk drivers in the same period. The CHP this year conducted a highly publicized campaign to crack down on drunk driving over New Year’s Eve.

In the outlying communities, Escondido police arrested 16 drunk drivers; Oceanside, 3; Carlsbad, 3; El Cajon, 5; Carlsbad, 4; National City, 2; and La Mesa, 1.

There were no drunk driving arrests in Chula Vista. (“Our drunks are fighting, not driving,” said a police dispatcher.) Figures from the Sheriff’s Department were not available Tuesday.

From 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Tuesday, San Diego police made 136 drunk driving arrests, compared with 123 over the shorter New Year’s weekend a year ago.

The CHP said it arrested 183 drunk drivers from 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Tuesday, compared to 209 over the Christmas weekend.

“The guys in the field seemed to think a lot of our drivers were responding to the new media coverage and publicity about how we were increasing our manpower and using our maximum enforcement units,” said CHP traffic Officer Fred Miller.

“All the taxi companies were busy when the bars closed down at 2 a.m.,” he said. “It sounds to us like the people took it to heart and decided not to put themselves in jeopardy like they have in the past.

“I was doing a little partying myself Monday night over on Coronado and I thought the crowd was a little lighter than in the past. I think people are going out earlier and going back home earlier.

“We’re getting the voluntary compliance that we need. It’s not how many people we can throw in jail, but how many people we can get to cooperate with us. It looks like they are.”

Ben Abbott, the night superintendent for the 320-car Yellow Cab Co. in San Diego, said his switchboard was jammed New Year’s Eve, starting at 6 p.m. and not easing up until 3 a.m. Tuesday. “We were behind on our calls all night. It was a madhouse,” he said.

Mission Bay and San Diego Harbor police said sailors were out in force Tuesday, enjoying a taste of Indian summer thanks to a mild Santa Ana condition. At Lindbergh Field, the temperature on Tuesday reached 67, with a high of 74 predicted for today.