TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — People who live along Camino de Oeste worry about driving that road. A recent wreck that killed two young men there just reinforces their concerns. In this Operation Safe Roads KGUN 9 looks at what worries them.
On Camino de Oeste, responsible drivers worry about curves that make it hard to see oncoming traffic—and they worry about speeding drivers that make that even more dangerous.
The condition of the wreckage from an accident July 7, says a lot about the speed and the force of the collision that killed two 21 year old men. Pima Deputies say they were southbound on Camino de Oeste when they crossed the centerline near Drabble and hit two other cars. Those drivers survived.
People who live nearby and drive Camino de Oeste all the time say the combination of curves and plants by the side of the road make it hard to see when you pull into traffic— and when drivers speed it makes the safety margin even thinner.
Cathay Spasoff says, “A lot of kids. It's a lot of kids and that's all people we drive slow. But a lot of people that don't have children do not pay attention to speed limit signs. That is my observation. Especially when there's real children on the corners waiting. It could be the middle of the morning. It could be early morning. There's always traffic and people are always going at least 40-45 down that street.”
The street is posted for 30 but plenty of drivers push it much harder.
Sheriff’s records requested by Operation Safe Roads dating back five years show that fatal wreck was their eighth along with seven other less serious wrecks along Camino de Oeste—the result of drivers turning into oncoming traffic, running stop signs, or rear ending other vehicles.
Bill Taylor rides motorcycles on Camino de Oeste. He says he’d like to change the rough pavement on the road and change the road so it will change how drivers behave.
“I would probably look at putting some sort of traffic circle or traffic control at bald eagle and then the hill and the curves down there. I would try and straighten that out a little bit.”
The President of a nearby Homeowners Association told us Camino de Oeste from Doria to Bald Eagle has been the scene of many accidents, some of the fatal, that do not reflect in the reports we received from the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office says it is committed to enforcement to encourage safe driving. Pima County DOT says it is reviewing the recent accident and reviewing the roadway.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
