After Henderson St. Crashes Humboldt Bay Fire and EPD Ask Community to Commit to Safe Driving Practices
Press release from Humboldt Bay Fire:
Humboldt Bay Fire and Eureka Police Department would like to address the recent traffic collisions on Henderson Street. We have seen a total of five traffic collisions since the morning of November 7th. Three of those traffic accidents occurred on Henderson Street with one resulting in a fatality.
Humboldt Bay Fire and Eureka Police Department would like to remind everyone to please slow down in residential areas and be aware on one-way streets. It is important to obey all traffic laws such as coming to a full stop at all stop signs and traffic lights. As well as slowing down for construction zones and amber signals.
According to the National Safety Council speeding was a factor in 29% of fatality accidents in 2022. It is important to stay vigilant of the speed limit as well as other drivers. Henderson Street has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour unless in a school zone.
Distracted driving was a factor in 8.2% of fatal traffic accidents according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. This includes the use of handheld devices; distracted driving is a primary cause of major injury crashes involving teens.
This is a great opportunity for the community as a whole to commit to safe driving practices including following the speed limit and keeping those cell phones away while behind the wheel. Safety is our highest priority and our condolences go out to the family of yesterday’s victim.
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If indeed EPD is asking for the community to be vigilant in driving safely, then I challenge EPD to do the same. I have, in the last 3 months been nearly hit head on by 2 EPD officers who were driving on my side of the road on two-way streets. Humboldt Bay Fire also needs to be vigilant, especially the one driving down California Street who drives with the driver side tires on or over the yellow line and refuses to move over – I have had to pull over many times and stop to avoid being hit head on by this individual.
Coming back to EPD, your suggestions are great. How about making it enough of a priority to actually patrol instead of refusing, and instead waiting for an epidemic of crashes and releasing a press release on driving safety which your own officers don’t even follow.
Obviously, the EPD has a “no interference” policy with speeders, crazies and outrageous driving in general…
Eureka is one scary town to drive through on its best day…
If the cops don’t want to do their job, maybe they should be replaced with some who will…
Harris to Harrison to Myrtle, and avoid downtown…
For a real fright, stop off with your deposit at Chase Bank ATM after 6PM…
BUILD THE BYPASS!
They sold the BYPASS property to protect the “now” empty stores in Eureka. There are plenty of dispensaries downtown to help out with the economy.
AVOID EUREKA!
It’s awful dangerous…
We need a bypass that goes behind Eureka, not through it.
How about un-synchronizing the lights thru town, make it take 45 minutes to drive through Eureka? Four way stops at every intersection on H and I streets ans serious speed bumps. Slow everyone way down…..
Start with the Chief…
I suggest getting a dash cam so the next time you see that happening, you can send it to the police as proof.
That, in most places is certainly a great idea. Unfortunately, with EPD I have zero faith that anything would happen even if I was unable to avoid a collision. EPD will likely never be able to regain even 1% of my trust as they have been corrupt for decades and committed many crimes against me and multitudes of other citizens. Unless it is completely shut down and started up again with all new officers at every level and kept in check by very serious oversight other than the equally corrupt ECC and BOS there’s no hope whatsoever.
IMHO: Probably wouldn’t have an impact in those (recent) crashes. Henderson… a long stretch of road without any stops, lulls the driver to not pay attention to the stoplights.
Your asking people to give up drugs and cell phones. People are addicted to both, it’ll never happen. They can’t live without “likes” or mind altering drugs ,truly a pathetic world we live in. 30,000,000 on psych meds, that’s alotta crazy on the roads.
Stoners drive the way they want to, and yeah, texting is more important than being safe. So fricking glad I left Eureka!
It’s a big job for the city to do. Their request is a knee jerk reaction that’ll need follow up. If the problem persists then eureka will have to raise your taxes for more police services.
Except they won’t follow up nor will they spend any actual money on traffic safeties they do raise taxes. They may though write a grant application.
I am sure their request will have an immediate effect, and a sharp decrease in accidents will follow.
It was such a good idea to put a screen in front of drivers lulling so many to relay on, or pay attention to information that has nothing to do with the here and now attention needed to watch other drivers and trafic around them.
The biggest distraction for drivers is not being in the moment. Unfortunately, stress can really impact our not being present while driving (I’ve personally experienced this). Until we perfect self-driving vehicles or some other advanced controls, expect the driver next to you or coming down a side street to collide with your vehicle, and drive accordingly.
Aghast, dismay, abhorrent
A drivers #1 responsibility is getting there alive.
Should at least do this.
Reflective Backplates for Traffic Lights.
Expect the other drivers to do something stupid and then you won’t be surprised when they do.
I always expect other drivers to do something stupid. What surprises me is not that they do something stupid, it’s the ever increasing level of stupid. You think regularly that you just saw the most stupid driver only to see one more stupid around the next corner.
It’s almost like there are not enough consequences for being stupid…almost like stupidity is being allowed, encouraged or even rewarded!
Finally!!! Well…This press release should fix everything! Why didn’t they just say so earlier? But- Better late than never…
Humboldt Bay Fire and Eureka Police Department are wasting their time. These drivers won’t listen and don’t care. Only citations will get their attention.