Sharp Turns and Steep Fines : Traffic Offenders on Ortega Highway Pay Twice as Much; Accident Rate Falls

The 16-mile stretch of twists and turns of Ortega Highway through Orange County is a favorite among thrill-seeking motorists, some of whom use the two-lane road as a racetrack on weekends.

But the scenic route is also one of California’s deadliest highways, and since January, possibly one of the most expensive on which to be caught speeding.

Authorities are hoping a new law that increases the fine for certain traffic violations such as drunk driving and excessive speeding will make motorists think twice before driving recklessly. In some cases, violators can expect to pay thousands of dollars more in fines.

So far, the effort is paying off.

This year, the California Highway Patrol has not recorded a fatal traffic accident on Ortega Highway west of the Riverside County line. Since 1982, about 40 people have died in crashes along that section of the highway, according to estimates from the CHP.

The number of accidents has also decreased, from 44 between January and August in 1995 to 29 during the same period this year.

“People get pretty impatient out here, and I think this will force them to be more careful,” said CHP Officer Mike Lussier, who regularly patrols the road in Orange County, which is the only designated Safety Enhancement Double-Fine Zone in Southern California.

Ortega Highway was chosen as a double-fine zone along with four other routes in Northern California for various reasons that include the number of fatal and injury accidents on the road. Another consideration was its traffic volume, which has increased by about 10% since 1991 and is continuing to increase.

About 14,000 motorists use the road on a daily basis, CHP officials said.

“Every three days or so, there’s a serious wreck out there,” Lussier said. “It’s crazy.”

Because of the remoteness of the highway, which winds through the Cleveland National Forest, criminals sought by police like to use the road in their attempt to elude authorities, officers said.

Lussier, who has patrolled the highway for more than 10 years, said he has chased after criminal suspects at speeds reaching 80 mph around elbow curves. Just earlier this month while chasing a man with several arrest warrants, Lussier slipped down a 100-foot slope and suffered only minor injuries. The man escaped.

But on most days, his focus is on the average driver--the ones who don’t wear their seat belts, push the speed limit or just are not concerned with the turns of the road, Lussier said.

The first thing the CHP officer does before heading out to patrol is check the speed scanner in his black-and-white 1993 Mustang.

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On Friday, Lussier was on the road for a few minutes before clocking an Isuzu Trooper at 70 mph in a 55-mph zone. Within an hour, Lussier had written another ticket for speeding and other violations including not wearing a seat belt.

But the most common ticket given out by officers is for speeding, CHP officials said.

Under the new law, fines for excessive speeding can increase by $25 or hundreds of dollars, depending on the posted speed limit and how fast the driver is going. In drunk driving cases, the added fine could mean thousands of dollars, traffic lawyers said.

For some who live or work along Ortega Highway, the new law is a welcomed change.

“I think people are a little slower, and I don’t see as many people passing across the double yellow lines,” said Tim McKelvey, 37, a manager of the Ortega Rock Co. who has been driving the highway for about 12 years.

McKelvey said an acquaintance was killed in a head-on collision on the road. Dominique Schwartz, 31, of Nevada was killed after veering into oncoming traffic.

“I thought at the time that people were just out of hand on the Ortega,” McKelvey said. “I think that has changed with the new law.”

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Although early statistics show a decline in traffic accidents, motorists, attorneys and some officers say it’s too soon to tell whether the program will work over time.

Mark Sutherland, an Orange County attorney specializing in traffic tickets, said the drop in accidents might be due to increased enforcement. From January through August of this year, there were 592 citations issued on the road, compared with 390 during the same period last year, according to CHP statistics.

Richard Peterson, who was cited for speeding on the highway earlier this month, said the hefty fines “are not going to make a difference.” Peterson is a painter who commutes between Lake Elsinore and Aliso Viejo and has been driving on the road for years.

“People are not as concerned about the money. What they are concerned about are points on their driver’s license,” Sutherland said. “I think this is just a way for the state to double revenues by doing the same job.”

But for Lussier, preventing one death makes the law worth keeping. The law will be in effect through 1997, when it will be reviewed.

“It’s the little things like this that will help save somebody when big accidents happen,” Lussier said. And as he clocks another driver who might be speeding, Lussier passes a white cross by the side of the road that marks another traffic death.

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Road Improvements

During the first eight months of this year, accidents along the Orange County portion of Ortega Highway have declined while the number of traffic citations has increased. The eight-month comparison:

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1995 1996 Citations 390 592 Total accidents 44 29 Accidents Injury 21* 19 Property damage 23 10

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* Includes one fatal accident

Source: California Highway Patrol; Researched by THAO HUA / Los Angeles Times