Light Cast on Dangerous Intersections : Traffic: Survey finds more run red signals near South Coast Plaza. Officials blame distractions, ‘freeway mentality.’

A red light just won’t stop some motorists, especially if they have just exited a freeway.

That’s the finding of a new countywide study by the Automobile Club of Southern California, which concluded that intersections located next to freeways have the most accidents caused by running a red light.

The most dangerous intersection in Orange County in 1998 was South Coast Drive and Bear Street, a traffic-clogged junction near the San Diego Freeway where 10 accidents occurred, the auto club said.

Three other intersections on its top-five list are also at freeway offramps: Lambert Road and the Orange Freeway in Brea; Orangethorpe Avenue and the Orange Freeway in Placentia; and Lake Forest Drive and Interstate 5 in Lake Forest.

Red-light running is among the leading causes of crashes in the United States, accounting for 22% of all car accidents, according to studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Experts speculate that motorists’ behavior near freeways contrasts sharply with other surface-street driving habits. Motorists, in their haste to get on a freeway, may drive too fast. And when leaving, many forget to slow down.

“Motorists could be taking on a ‘freeway driving’ mentality before they actually reach the freeway, or keep driving like they’re on the freeway when they are exiting,” said Arline Dillman, the auto club’s chief traffic safety expert. “Drivers have to be able to quickly adapt to new conditions, and too many aren’t paying attention.”

The Costa Mesa intersection, located near several off- and onramps to the San Diego Freeway, is among the busiest in the city, officials said. It is a major gateway to South Coast Plaza, the Metro Pointe shopping mall and several high-density residential areas.

The presence of pedestrians, construction projects and the many retail attractions may contribute to the red-light running problem, Costa Mesa officials said.

“One could easily be distracted in that area,” said Sgt. Dave Anderson, a traffic bureau supervisor.

“People that do travel that roadway are going for a variety of reasons, and a variety of things are on their mind at that point.”

In Placentia, officials believe the high number of accidents was due to the poor placement of traffic signals near a construction project on the Orange Freeway.

Motorists driving east on Orangethorpe often became confused because the traffic signal at the offramp was too high, Sgt. Kim Redifer said.

As a result, he said, some motorist didn’t see the signals.

Earlier this year, the traffic signal was lowered, he said, resulting in fewer accidents.

“People can see the signal better now,” he said.

The auto club report used data provided by the California Highway Patrol.

A similar study of Los Angeles County found the worst intersection was Pasadena’s Walnut Street and Pasadena Avenue, with 18 red-light-related accidents.

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Not Seeing Red

The following intersections in Orange County had the highest number of collisions in 1998 caused by drivers who ran red lights.

1. Bear Street and South Coast Drive, 10 crashes (Costa Mesa)

2. Tie with 8 crashes apiece

* Lambert Road and Orange Freeway, southbound offramp (Brea)

* Orangethorpe Avenue and Orange Freeway, northbound offramp (Placentia)

3. Lake Forest Drive and Interstate 5, northbound offramp, 7 crashes (Lake Forest)

Source: Automobile Club of Southern California; California Highway Patrol