Auto Accident on 120

Involved German tourists. Sad news.

Accident

Very sad.

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Was it really on 120? It's my understanding that the state highway ends at the park entrance. It's kind of of confusing as there doesn't seem to be any map in the video, but it says the incident happened inside the park. The article says they were traveling from San Francisco to Yosemite, but the video says they were last seen at Crane Flat and were supposed to meet up in Groveland.

OK - I found that the vehicle was found near Buck Meadows, so it wasn't actually in Yosemite and was on 120.

http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/271977/german-tourist-involved-in-highway-120-crash-passes-away.html

There was another crash on 120 where it joins with 108. This time it was a car turning left from a stop sign into a semi. I heard about this from my wife because my kid apparently attended some class with one or both of the injured kids.

http://www.uniondemocrat.com/localnews/4603079-151/injured-parties-identified-in-friday-big-rig-accident
http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/271686/chp-releases-names-in-yosemite-junction-crash-involving-two-kids.html

That is one of the more dangerous intersections, if not the most. When making that left, there is a designated merging lane for you to use. The driver probably saw things were clear coming out of 108/Sonora, but the cars on the eastbound direction must have arrived quicker than anticipated. Hoping for the best for the children. The all-important seat belts might turn out to be the difference.

The other dangerous left turns on 120 are also westbound: onto the Priest Grade at the old hotel/restaurant (tough to see oncoming traffic around that curve), then again at the bottom of the grade.

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Ohnivy-Drak

That is one of the more dangerous intersections, if not the most. When making that left, there is a designated merging lane for you to use. The driver probably saw things were clear coming out of 108/Sonora, but the cars on the eastbound direction must have arrived quicker than anticipated. Hoping for the best for the children. The all-important seat belts might turn out to be the difference.

The other dangerous left turns on 120 are also westbound: onto the Priest Grade at the old hotel/restaurant (tough to see oncoming traffic around that curve), then again at the bottom of the grade.

I really don't view any of those left turns dangerous. But then I'm a competent driver. Of the three you mentioned, the one that needs the most finesse is the westbound Hwy 120 turning onto Old Priest Grade. It's not really dangerous though. Just slow down, signal that you're preparing to turn left and prepare to stop (if need be) and glance to your right to see if there's any eastbound traffic approaching the intersection from Hwy 120. If there's none, just proceed straight onto Old Priest Grade. If there is, stop, and wait for the traffic to pass before proceeding.

In regards to the other two, the visibility is good enough in both directions that any competent driver should have no difficulty in executing a safe left turn after coming to a complete stop at the stop signs at those two intersections.

The problem lies — especially at the Hwy 120/108 junction — that some drivers DO NOT come to a complete stop at the stop sign (as they are required to do so by law) and just roll across the intersection without properly looking for any opposing traffic. Those are the drivers that tend to get t-boned at those intersections.

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Leave No Trace

The most dangerous parts of Hwy 120 are some of the deceptively sharp curves when heading westbound between Evergreen Road and Cherry Lake Road that if you are not attentive and adjust your steering or slow down you can end up flying off pavement and down the embarkment, similar to what happened to the German tourists (though according the news reports the site of their accident was further west than Cherry Lake Road).

The other section of Hwy 120 that has a high number of accidents is the straightway between the Groveland Ranger District National Forest Service Office and Smith Station Road (County Hwy J132). Incompetent and reckless drivers tend to try to pass in a very unsafe manner slower vehicles when they're on this long straightaway. They also fail to take into account vehicles making left turns onto Hwy 120 from Groveland Ranger District Office access road, Ferretti Road and from Smith Station Road (Hwy J132) on this part of Hwy 120.

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Leave No Trace

I'm typically a dayhiker, so when heading out of Yosemite on 120, it's usually dark already. In fact, it's usually dark when I'm heading into the park as well. So those particular intersections I mentioned are a bit more challenging. However when it's during sunrise and sunset, the brightness of the sun can be blinding - quite dangerous when it happens on the curves. Recalling the stories I read on the head-on collisions, I can see how those heading in the direction of the sun could weave into oncoming traffic. That doesn't mean those driving into the sun were always at fault, or the brightness of the sun had anything to do with the cause. There are impatient people that pass any time of day (they just can't help it), and there are also those that doze off or talk on their cell phones.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2016 12:55PM by Ohnivy-Drak.

Plawrence: I agree with you on all counts..

I don’t have a problem with the intersections or curves, but the deer, especially this time of year when we are heading home. This past Monday, there were two *groups* of deer licking the road in east bound direction before Buck Meadows. I’ve had them jump out in front of me, all kinds of stuff.

I know the road and can deal with conditions, but I’m very wary about the deer (Used to ride motorcycles... And you *really* don’t want to mix it up with a deer on one!)

Second most dangerous aspect, in my mind: other drivers who do stupid, but it’s eaiser to see them usually.

Be alert, all!

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Ohnivy-Drak
That is one of the more dangerous intersections, if not the most. When making that left, there is a designated merging lane for you to use. The driver probably saw things were clear coming out of 108/Sonora, but the cars on the eastbound direction must have arrived quicker than anticipated. Hoping for the best for the children. The all-important seat belts might turn out to be the difference.

The other dangerous left turns on 120 are also westbound: onto the Priest Grade at the old hotel/restaurant (tough to see oncoming traffic around that curve), then again at the bottom of the grade.

I actually don't understand why there's a light at 108/120 and O'Byrnes Ferry Rd., while there isn't a light at 108/120. The Yosemite Junction intersection would have seemed more in need of a light, not only for safety, but to alleviate the backup on 120 westbound.

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ttilley

I actually don't understand why there's a light at 108/120 and O'Byrnes Ferry Rd., while there isn't a light at 108/120. The Yosemite Junction intersection would have seemed more in need of a light, not only for safety, but to alleviate the backup on 120 westbound.

Heh. I must travel back from Yosemite to the Bay Area at less popular times since I've never really ever experienced any sort of significant backup turning left from Hwy 120 westbound to Hwy 108/120 westbound. Sometimes there might be three or four vehicles ahead of me, but the wait has never been that long.

(My usual time for heading out of Yosemite, including on Sundays) is usually about two hours before sunset (though some days I've left later, including after sunset).

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Leave No Trace

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plawrence

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ttilley

I actually don't understand why there's a light at 108/120 and O'Byrnes Ferry Rd., while there isn't a light at 108/120. The Yosemite Junction intersection would have seemed more in need of a light, not only for safety, but to alleviate the backup on 120 westbound.

Heh. I must travel back from Yosemite to the Bay Area at less popular times since I've never really ever experienced any sort of significant backup turning left from Hwy 120 westbound to Hwy 108/120 westbound. Sometimes there might be three or four vehicles ahead of me, but the wait has never been that long.

(My usual time for heading out of Yosemite, including on Sundays) is usually about two hours before sunset (though some days I've left later, including after sunset).

I drove by that intersection on Sunday evening on 108, around 7 PM or so, and the line on westbound 120 looked like it was about 20 deep. Which is mild in my experience.

I've never seen more than a few cars on O'Byrnes Ferry waiting to get onto 120/108.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2016 05:57PM by ttilley.