Fast Facts : Unsafe at Any Speed

You must gauge your speed according to the prevailing traffic and weather conditions, droned your driver’s ed instructor. Who listened?

Well, those traffic accidents and Sigalerts that plague our daily commute are caused by people not following that maxim, according to the California Highway Patrol. Ranking the most accident-prone stretches of freeways in Los Angeles for the first eight months of 1995, the CHP said the primary reason for all the crackups was people driving too fast. Imagine that.

1. Hollywood Freeway (101)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Mulholland Drive to the Universal Overcrossing./Commuters to Universal City, Warner Bros., NBC and Disney Studios.

Number of accidents/Fatlities: 196/4

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2. San Diego Freeway (405)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Marine Ave. to La Tierja Blvd./LAX and Beach traffic.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 167/0.

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3. Santa Monica Freeway (10)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Westbound from Alameda Street to the Harbor Freeway./Downtown business traffic.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 160/5.

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4. San Bernardino Freeway (10)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Eastbound from Santa Anita Ave. to Indiana Street./Intersects the Long Beach Freeway, San Bernardino commuters.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 144/1.

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5. San Gabriel River Freeway (605)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Telegraph Road to Rose Hills Rd./Merging traffic to and from the Santa Ana, major surface streets.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 112/0.

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6. San Diego Freeway (405)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Olympic Blvd. to Sunset Blvd./Commuters to UCLA, VA Hospital, federal building, adjacent business districts.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 95/1.

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7. San Diego Freeway (405)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

190th Street to Century Blvd./LAX and Beach traffic.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 92/1.

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8. Pomona Freeway (60)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Eastbound from Indiana Street to the San Gabriel River Freeway./Truck traffic.

Number of accidents/ Fatalities: 86/3.

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9. San Diego Freeway (405)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Vermont Ave. to Marine Ave./Beach traffic, intersects Artesia andHarbor Freeways.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 88/0.

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10. Long Beach Freeway (710)

Location/ Contributing Factors:

Greenleaf Blvd. to Carson Street/Intersects Artesia and San Diego Freeways.

Number of accidents/Fatalities: 79/1.