By LAURA KEMMER

There was a bad accident not long ago at the corner of La Jolla Shores Drive and Azul, but as bad as it was, it could have been far, far worse. The driver was coming up the hill on La Jolla Shores Drive, heading towards North Torrey Pines. He was going far too fast for the curve at Azul. The squeals from his tires were loud enough to be heard a good quarter-mile away and lasted at least a few seconds. Then came the thud.
Luckily, the irresponsible driver had run into parked cars, pushing one car into another car, which ran into a pickup in front of it (the vehicle owners had come out of their house and were taking it remarkably well). Somehow, the BMW turned around 180 degrees, and ended up squeezed between a light pole and chain-link fence (amazingly, the fence wasn’t damaged).
The driver, luckily, was driving a newer BMW with airbags, including passenger front and side airbags. The driver, a young man who looked less than 20, was walking around; the woman in the car with him was taken out on a backboard after the passenger door was cut off. She was talking: while the injuries might still be severe, they’re not as bad as they could have been in a car without airbags ” otherwise, the driver might be facing charges of vehicular homicide or dead himself. The driver is also extremely fortunate there were no bikers or pedestrians in the path of his car. This accident occurred one-quarter of a mile from UCSD.
All this could have been avoided if the driver had simply observed the posted speed limit of 30 mph.
Given the number of UCSD students, staff and faculty members who walk, bike and drive along La Jolla Shores Drive, it is just a matter of time before someone gets killed on that road. Cars regularly go much faster than the posted speed limit of 30 mph. Despite the double-yellow painted line along the stretch from Horizon to North Torrey Pines, twice in the last month, when driving the speed limit, I have been passed by people who just don’t think the speed limit applies to them. One time, it was after I turned onto La Jolla Shores Drive from North Torrey Pines, right on the curve at La Jolla Farms Road, and the only reason the illegal passer did not hit an oncoming car (or me) is because I slowed down and pulled to the right.
Cars turning right onto La Jolla Shores Drive from North Torrey Pines regularly fail to stop when the light is red ” this in spite of the fact that the turn is posted “No Turn on Red.” Others stop and then turn while the light is still red, without even checking to see if there is someone in the crosswalk, making that crosswalk a dangerous place to be, for bikers in particular.
I have great sympathy for our understaffed and underpaid (which in part is causing the understaffing) San Diego Police Department. They simply don’t have the personnel to worry about enforcing traffic laws; a recent article in the Union-Tribune discussed the revenue (more than $1 million) the city lost in 2006 by failure to enforce traffic laws because of understaffing in the police department.
Over a year ago, I called the police department and asked if they could enforce the no-turn-on-red sign better, as I had almost been hit by an irresponsible driver. I would have been if I had not been being so careful. The person I spoke with, while understanding what I was saying, was honest and said that while they would try, personnel shortages would limit what they could do. Based on hearing sirens in the area a little more often, I suspect they did patrol the area a little more. However, people in San Diego have gotten used to being able to violate traffic laws and to drive aggressively. if traffic laws are not being enforced throughout San Diego, there are still going to be plenty of violations which are not caught along La Jolla Shores Drive.
Additionally, the San Diego Fire Department is dramatically understaffed and did not get accredited last year because their response times did not meet national standards (http://www.signonsandiego-.com/uniontrib/20060326/news_lz1e26declerc.html). The fire department is often the first responder to any emergency; they are the people who do what it takes to stabilize keep your loved ones alive until the ambulance can get them to a hospital.
These shortages are about San Diego’s willingness to pay the taxes necessary to support the police and fire departments. Just how much is your loved one’s life worth? In the case of cardiac arrest, a rule of thumb is that each minute that defibrillation is delayed reduces by 8 to 10 percent the chance of eventual hospital discharge” (Callans, D.J., 2004). In other words, each additional minute reduces the chance of survival. Is it worth it to San Diegans to save a small amount in taxes annually, at the expense of a loved one dying?
Virtually every person in San Diego has someone they care for who is older than 60 ” of an age where a heart attack is not completely unexpected. Everyone in San Diego has someone they care for who could be severely injured in a traffic accident. Are you willing to risk that person’s life for the sake of saving about $100 on average annually in taxes? How much is it worth to you to have the police respond quickly if your house is robbed or if there is some kind of violence occurring near your home, if your mom or dad has a heart attack, or if your son or daughter is in a bad car accident? Is it really worth saving along the lines of $10 a month?
” Laura Kemmer is a UCSD graduate student who frequently walks along La Jolla Shores Drive.