Dangerous intersections in Hernando
Motorists want to know where the speed traps are so they won’t get ticketed and fined.
Police think they’d be better off knowing the locations of the most dangerous intersections. That might be a better deterrent to speeding.
Interstate 75, state highways, rural highways and county roads all are included on the short list of the most dangerous traffic spots in Hernando County.
The 2010 traffic statistics from the Florida Highway Patrol are still a day away, but cumulative data during the previous five years reveal the areas where motorists should be the most alert.
Interstate 75 near the State Road 50 was the most dangerous intersection in 2009 with 154 crashes, 44 injuries and two fatalities.
That more than doubled the traffic corner that finished second on the list – Mariner Boulevard and County Line Road.
State Road 50 remains perhaps the most dangerous corridor in Hernando County. Three of the four most crash-heavy intersections occurred along the aforementioned highway in 2009.
Mariner is the most dangerous county road. It is mentioned in three of the top five worst intersections.
“That would be the norm for the most part,” said Spring Hill Fire Chief Mike Rampino.
His agency responds to thousands of rescue calls per year. In 2009, Spring Hill Fire Rescue responded to approximately 117 crashes at two intersections alone – Mariner and County Line and Mariner and Northcliffe Boulevard.
“I can’t say any particular one is worse than the other without looking at the data,” said Rampino, “but I’d say (the Florida Department of Transportation) has made quite a few intersections safer with better technology and more turn lanes … All in all, they’ve done a better job.”
Based on FHP statistics, Hernando County roads have become moderately safer since 2006.
That year there were 1,758 accidents. That number dropped to 1,698 in 2007, 1,493 in 2008 and 1,424 in 2009.
The number of fatalities went from 33 in 2006 to 40 in 2007, the highest total during the past five years. That number went down the next two years to 37 and 31, respectively.
In all, 42 out of the state’s 67 counties saw reduced fatalities from 2007 to 2009.
Without taking into account population growth or other mitigating factors, Hernando ranks 28 out of 67 on the list of most dangerous counties in the state in terms of traffic crashes, according to FHP.
Dave Westberry, an FHP spokesman, said Hernando and other counties are expected to see continued declines in the accident fatality rate.
“You take education and enforcement and couple that with technological advances, you’re going to continue to see positive trends,” he said.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office reported a 6 percent decrease in traffic crashes from 2008 to 2009.
“As far as proactive measures go, we do saturation patrols in the high-traffic areas and have even used the traffic sign boards on main thoroughfares to make drivers aware of congested areas and traffic enforcement programs,” said Sgt. Donna Black, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Deadly crashes also occur in places with low traffic congestion.
Two of the most dangerous rural highway intersections in Hernando are Shoal Line and Osowaw boulevards and Powell and Emerson roads, where there were a combined total of 30 traffic accidents and three fatalities in 2009, according to FDOT.
Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5823 or [email protected].
