Students are paying less attention to their surroundings while driving, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies said three weeks ago, when a large number of them were cracking down on student violators on Stelling Road.

Two weeks ago, officers responded to three accidents, and on Tuesday another accident occurred involving a bicyclist, said officers. This does not include accidents that go unreported in which drivers simply exchange insurance information.

The recent rise in traffic accidents in the De Anza area prompted the large officer turnout, where, at times, up to five police cars were lined up on the side of the road across from De Anza College’s east entrance at times.

Common causes of accidents are driving in a hurry, inattentiveness and following the car ahead too closely. It has been common for deputies to stop four cars at once for passing the same red light.

The sheriff’s department stationed the deputies at random intersections around De Anza College at various times from Monday through Thursday at the request of the City of Cupertino and plans to continue until the traffic situation improves.

In one 20-minute period, five motorists were stopped for turning on a red light at the intersection of S. Stelling Blvd. and the east entrance to De Anza.

Nora Allen, a Political Science major, was among the drivers stopped. Allen admitted to the deputy that she had simply followed the driver in front of her, who had turned left at the red light.

Another common traffic violation in the area is drivers who don’t just run a red light, but speed while doing so. Such drivers are more likely to cause accidents and their actions cause about one accident a day, said a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputy.

Other drivers do not watch out for pedestrians who are crossing the street. When turning at an intersection, a driver needs to be aware that pedestrians always have the right of way, so he needs to stop until they have crossed the street.

The deputies ask drivers to be aware of their surroundings and obey traffic laws, regardless of what the car ahead of them is doing. Students need to do their part in reducing traffic violations by coming to school early and being patient when driving, they said.

Published for La Voz Weekly
3/7/2008
Original Link: Police crack down on DA drivers