We wonder why these wrong-way crashes keep happening: drugs and alcohol, bad signage, confusing on-ramps, GPS blind spots, inexperienced drivers, etc. Your thoughts? Click the Comments link below.
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The reason these drunk-driver accidents happen is because a lot of people want a fun day at the coastside beach. Feeling safer after a few good drinks, they're tired and relaxed enough to drive. I’ve seen them driving the wrong way more than once. You had plenty of notice by now, but when you’re drinking and you’re in the sun, I guess it’s too much and the younger ones are not thinking about weekend traffic. Not all young ones, but the coast seems to be a hotspot for this problem!
Posted by: Michelle Bernor | February 16, 2024 at 11:18 PM
Years ago -- and I'm sorry that the Tribune doesn't have a searchable, digitized database -- there was a collision that killed at least the driver of the wrong-way vehicle.
When I read about it, I wasn't surprised, as I knew the driver slightly. She was one of those alcoholics who literally had it coming out of her pores -- a really unpleasant odor.
She made a right onto northbound Highway 1 at the Manor Drive off-ramp and collided with some unlucky driver coming the other way. I can't recall exactly, but I believe the other driver survived.
I also recall that Andy Oddstad, the man who built much of Linda Mar, was killed in a wrong-way collision at the southbound Palmetto off-ramp in Pacific Manor. That was many years ago, in the 1960s or '70s.
So this is something that's been going on for quite a while, and it's really a shame that we've had so many in recent years.
Posted by: Lionel Emde | February 24, 2019 at 09:43 AM
My condolences to the families and friends of all the victims.
The facts and tragedy of Bruce Bernor's death stand by themselves.
The tragic deaths in the other two recent incidents on December 25, 2015 and February 2, 2019 share at least six coincidences that may be statistically unremarkable individually but become less likely when combined. Consider just three of coincidences that have been publicly disclosed:
1. Daly City residents.
2. 23-year-old victims.
3. Toyotas.
Combined probability shows that three random probabilities with a hypothetical 1 in 10 chance of occurring jump to a 1 in 1,000 probability when combined ((1/10) * (1/10) * (1/10).
The same hypothetical 1 in 10 chance jumps to a 1 in 1,000,000 probability when combined six times.
Unknown is how many other wrong-way drivers make it from Daly City to Pacifica and safely exit Highway 1 before loss of life or property.
RELATED:
Pacifica (population 39K) shares a northern border with Daly City (population 107K), or 2.74 times our size. It's predictable that southbound drivers might be from Daly City, and by itself it's not statistically unlikely that both drivers might be from Daly City.
23-year-old victims are not the least common car accident victims, with drivers under 20 roughly three times more likely to be represented in fatal car crashes, but California teen drivers are disappearing and comprise only 3. 3% of total drivers. By itself it may not be statistically unlikely that both accidents claimed 23-year-old victims.
Toyota frequently tops lists of most commonly sold vehicles in California and independently both Toyota Corolla and Prius sell well locally, so by itself it may not be statistically unlikely.
As presented by media, the wrong-way vehicles were:
12/25/15 southbound Toyota Corolla strikes a Nissan Maxima.
https://patch.com/california/pacifica/driver-identified-deadly-fiery-pacifica-crash-0
02/09/19 southbound Toyota Prius strikes a Chevrolet Silverado.
https://sfbay.ca/2019/02/11/two-killed-in-wrong-way-crash-identified-as-23-year-old-daly-city-residents/
Posted by: Dan Stegink | February 15, 2019 at 07:19 AM
Who knows anymore. If the driver got out alive, he won't spend much time in jail, that's for sure!!!!! Ask Judge Hill.
Posted by: Michelle Bernor | February 13, 2019 at 06:22 PM
In light of the 911 calls reporting the wrong-way Prius, its driver must have entered Highway 1 at the top of hill or even earlier. But it is almost certain that at least one of the driver's two passengers was aware of the impending doom. Therefore, I believe that the Prius driver was suicidal, and his two terrified passengers, who died, may have been trying to intervene. An absence of drugs and alcohol in the passengers' systems would add credibility to my theory.
Posted by: alan wald | February 11, 2019 at 11:26 PM