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FN City of Santa Ana i First Street Multimodal Corridor <br /> Technical Memorandum <br /> Safety Assessment <br /> The posted speed limit along First Street is 40 miles per hour, but field observations and crash <br /> data indicate that speeding is a persistent issue throughout the corridor. This behavior <br /> significantly contributes to safety concerns, particularly for vulnerable road users such as <br /> pedestrians and bicyclists. Over the past eight years, approximately 25% of all reported collisions <br /> were attributed to unsafe speed as a primary contributing factor. These speed-related crashes <br /> tend to be more severe, often resulting in serious injuries or fatalities. The combination of high <br /> travel speeds with limited physical separation between vehicles and pedestrians, and long <br /> crossing distances at intersections, creates a hazardous environment that demands targeted <br /> traffic calming and safety interventions. <br /> Existing available crash data was used to identify potential safety concerns or historic trends. <br /> Crash data for the most recent 8-year period (2017-2024)was obtained from the California <br /> Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) crash database then `scrubbed'to <br /> address inconsistencies in how the data was logged. <br /> Table 7 summarizes the results of the crash analysis including the severity, crash type and crash <br /> factor. Of the 479 crashes reported over the eight-year period, 28 resulted in a fatality or severe <br /> injury. The majority of the crashes report were either broadside or rear end. <br /> Common causes of broadside crashes include: <br /> • Running red lights or stop signs. <br /> • Failure to yield right of way, particularly at uncontrolled or side street-controlled <br /> intersections. <br /> • Distracted driving <br /> • Speeding and/or aggressive driving <br /> Common causes of rear end collisions include: <br /> • Distracted driving <br /> • Tailgating or aggressive driving <br /> • Speeding <br /> • Heavy traffic <br /> Most crashes reported were a result of unsafe speed or right of way violations, which align with <br /> the crash types. Evaluating traffic patterns at the side street stop-controlled intersections, <br /> narrowing the roadway to reduce crossing and turning distance, physical improvements to <br /> reduce speeds and enforcement are potential measures to offset the current crash trends and <br /> patterns along First Street. <br /> 19 <br />