How dangerous is it to drive on the San Francisco Bay Bridge?
June 11, 2015 9:51 AM Subscribe
My Google-fu has failed me. Can anyone find recent crash (or death or injury) statistics for cars driving on the San Francisco Bay Bridge?
I'm trying to figure out how dangerous it is to drive on the Bay Bridge. Statistics that are per-mile or per-car or per-driver or that compare to regular freeway miles would be helpful. I'd like to get some idea of the incidence of injury or death from driving on the Bay Bridge as a commuter.
I'm trying to figure out how dangerous it is to drive on the Bay Bridge. Statistics that are per-mile or per-car or per-driver or that compare to regular freeway miles would be helpful. I'd like to get some idea of the incidence of injury or death from driving on the Bay Bridge as a commuter.
Seconding CalTrans. Also worth noting, as you may have heard, that there's additional risk in an earthquake (more on the safety flaws in the new bridge construction here).
posted by three_red_balloons at 11:34 AM on June 11, 2015
posted by three_red_balloons at 11:34 AM on June 11, 2015
Caltrans keeps this info in its Traffic Accident Surveillance and Analysis System (TASAS). You have to fill out a request form (which I can't find online, but might be in the back of the Caltrans Traffic Manual) with a couple of general questions about why you're requesting the data, whether you're an attorney or if the data is being used to sue the state, the route you're requesting, and the post mile range that you're requesting.
You'll have to contact someone in Caltrans District 4 to get the post mile information in the format that the system requires, and the request will be broken up into at least two segments, the portion within Alameda County and the portion within San Francisco County, since the post miles break at the county line.
If you can navigate all of that, the data will be spit out in an ASCII table that looks incomprehensible, but the table to decode the symbols should be in the Traffic Manual.
The TASAS data will show you statistics for each crash reported, typically within a 2-year window. You can divide the number of crashes you get in that window by the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) for the timeframe (should be easily searchable), and you'll get something more statistical.
posted by hwyengr at 12:14 PM on June 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
You'll have to contact someone in Caltrans District 4 to get the post mile information in the format that the system requires, and the request will be broken up into at least two segments, the portion within Alameda County and the portion within San Francisco County, since the post miles break at the county line.
If you can navigate all of that, the data will be spit out in an ASCII table that looks incomprehensible, but the table to decode the symbols should be in the Traffic Manual.
The TASAS data will show you statistics for each crash reported, typically within a 2-year window. You can divide the number of crashes you get in that window by the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) for the timeframe (should be easily searchable), and you'll get something more statistical.
posted by hwyengr at 12:14 PM on June 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
Thinking a little further, here, a TASAS analysis is included in the Project Report for any major California highway project, so if you could track down a copy of the PR for the recent Bay Bridge replacement project, all the legwork would be done for you.
posted by hwyengr at 12:47 PM on June 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by hwyengr at 12:47 PM on June 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
Remember that the new east side span opened less than two years ago, and the construction years were marked by lots of crashes (and a few flipped trucks) at the s-curve going into the Yerba Buena tunnel.
posted by rockindata at 4:24 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rockindata at 4:24 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by aniola at 10:27 AM on June 11, 2015