ACCIDENT PRONE: The reckless teen-age driver is...
ACCIDENT PRONE: The reckless teen-age driver is a cultural stereotype--and deservedly so, judging by CHP statistics. Statewide, teen-age drivers had 42,523 serious accidents in 1991, compared to 24,403 for elderly drivers. . . . But the stats may be misleading: The elderly typically drive less. A Michigan study found that, mile for mile, elderly drivers are involved in more fatal accidents. . . . Street Smart (B1) has tips for drivers of all ages.
GROWING PROBLEMS: Frustrated gardeners are calling Ventura County’s Master Gardener Hotline with problems ranging from aphids to yellow mold. . . . “A lady called today complaining about deer eating her roses,” said Jean Bryan of Ventura. Solution: Hang deodorant soap around the bushes. Gophers eating your lawn? Drop a stick of gum down their hole. “They can’t digest it and die.”. . . The hot line--682-0988--is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
GULP: It’s taking more water than expected to turn the dusty hillsides green at Camarillo’s Spanish Hills Country Club (B1). And that’s not counting the 151 luxury homes that may overlook the lush fairways some day. . . . Only six of the one-acre-plus lots have been sold, but marketing coordinator Ty McCutcheon is optimistic: “You’re talking about a very special person” who can spend up to $650,000 on just a lot. Buyers so far, he said, include two doctors, a lawyer, and some “independently wealthy men.”
MEETING GROUND: There’s little love lost between children in Saticoy and Cabrillo Village. “The youngsters of these communities have not gotten along very well . . . even though they live less than a half-mile apart,” said Ventura County Parks Administrator Andrew Oshita. Today, the county and the city of Ventura will bring the two groups together for a Summer Sports Day at Huntsinger Park. . . . About 60 youths ages 6 to 12 will meet and compete. “We’ll be mixing them up,” said official Roberta Payan. “It won’t be one group versus the other.”
Still Going
In Ventura County, drivers 70 and older outnumber teen-age drivers. 70-79 years old: 24,955 80-89: 7,236 90-99: 330 Total: 32,521 Teen-age drivers: 21,788 Source: Ventura County Statistical Abstract
