Cleanup of Wrecks a Lesson in Safety : * Drivers Can Help Thwart Dangers of Ortega Highway

Recent efforts to remove wrecks from canyons below Ortega Highway were noteworthy for several reasons. Not the least of them was that the cleanup was done with little expenditure of public funds. But these ruined vehicles are also a reminder that safety is an ongoing concern on this treacherous road. That’s especially so now that the winding, scenic highway is a well-traveled commuter route for fast-growing suburbs.

First, the cleanup: When plans to remove abandoned vehicles dried up amid the state’s budgetary woes, the U.S. Forest Service, California Highway Patrol and civic-minded tow truck companies joined forces to retrieve about 40 wrecks from steep canyons.

The vehicles pose an environmental danger because crankcase oil leaches into the soil, and, when rains come, it gets into water supplies. Oil also attracts thirsty wildlife, with ill effects. In addition, mangled vehicles mar otherwise beautiful views of Lake Elsinore.

For two days recently, four towing companies--A. C. Towing of San Clemente, Chuck’s Tow of El Toro, Dunivin’s Tow of San Juan Capistrano and Quality Tow of Laguna Niguel--hauled cars and motorbikes up a 400-foot grade. At times, the tow trucks worked so hard their wheels tipped into the air.

For their efforts, the towing companies got little up front; they sold some vehicles for scrap metal and eventually may get reimbursed by insurance companies if vehicle owners are traced. But they accomplished something for everyone.

Now for safety: The CHP’s San Juan Capistrano office, which patrols the Orange County segment of Ortega Highway, has stepped up enforcement over the years. Radar units, added in 1986, help. Also, drivers along certain stretches are requested to turn on their headlights during daylight hours as a reminder that the roadway is extremely risky.

But the carnage continues. Orange County Fire Capt. Dan Young said there are so many wrecks in certain canyons that rescuers sometimes lose precious minutes searching for the vehicle involved in the most recent accident. That’s incredible. Last year, there were 85 accidents on Orange County’s portion of the highway, nine alcohol-related. There were three deaths.

For a short stretch of highway, that’s too much.

More should be done to widen the road, especially in risky stretches, and to make turnouts safer. But drivers also must do their part. Too many use the highway as a racetrack. Or, worse, they drive drunk. That endangers themselves and others.

Daily traffic on Ortega Highway doubled to 10,000 vehicles per day in the last five years. Everyone who uses the road must be more careful, or there surely will be many more of those wrecks at the bottom of canyons awaiting the next cleanup. And the CHP must do what it can to insist on strict enforcement of traffic safety laws.