One of San Francisco's most dangerous intersections - the tree-lined Octavia Boulevard - was initially created to get rid of a serious problem. Bay Citizen news reported that the area that is now notorious for the dangers it presents to motorists, used to be notorious for another problem - it was known as "hooker haven" until it was transformed into a leafy boulevard. The double decker freeway was torn down to make room for the ostensible improvement.
The roadway has now brought its own problems with cars rushing to get on and off of California's Highway 101, resulting in the corner of Market Street and Octavia Boulevard being labeledSan Francisco's most dangerous intersection.
In fact, during the last 3 years, 20 injury accidents have occurred at the corner. It also ranks as the top intersection for bike crashes - in 2011 9 of the 13 injury crashes involved bicyclists. The 2010-2011 San Francisco Collisions Report also revealed the following statistics concerning San Francisco area accidents:
• More than 3,111 non-fatal injuries occurred in 2011;
• 28 fatal collisions occurred in 2011. Of these 17 were pedestrian accidents and 3 were bicycle accidents;
• Unsafe speed was the primary cause in one-fifth of the total accidents; and
• The 2011 bicycle injury collision rate was the highest in the past 10 years.
Other dangerous intersections include:
• 4th Street and Harrison Street
• Fell Street and Masonic Avenue
• 13th Street and Mission/Otis
• Duboce Avenue and Valencia Street
• 13th Street and South Van Ness Avenue
• 16th Street and Potrero Avenue
• Hayes Street and Van Ness Avenue
The news is not all bad though. As the result of safety measures, a few of San Francisco's intersections have dropped out of the most dangerous category, including 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, Bayshore Boulevard and Paul Avenue, Bayshore Boulevard and Silver Avenue, and Essex and Harrison streets.
For more information or if you have injured at any of these intersections, contact the top San Francisco injury attorneys at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.