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Santa Maria Police: Nearly 150 collisions reported in 25-day stretch

Santa Maria Police

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Officers say they're seeing an unusually high number car collisions throughout the city.

During the first 25 days of the new year, officers reported close to 150 cRASHES.

Matt Amenta, who has been living here for several years, isn’t surprised.

“I believe it. People run red lights. They turn without looking,” Amenta said.

Nathan Totorica with the Santa Maria Police Department said most of the collisions were caused by drivers under the influence and running through red lights.

“Knowing these statistics, we did some specific enforcement’s and focused on those high traffic collision areas,” Totorica said.

Totorica said no area is immune.

They’re seeing dangerous driving near just about all major intersections in the City.

One of the spots where they’re seeing a particularly high volume of accidents is on Bradley and Betteravia roads.

and that's not the only trouble intersection.

“The primary locations for traffic collisions have been Broadway and Betteravia, and Donovan and Broadway,” Totorica said.

While Amenta believes traffic didn’t used to be this busy when he first moved to Santa Maria, he’s glad police are being proactive in minimizing collisions through traffic enforcements.

“It’s gotten noticeably worst. I feel like there’s times where I’ve even gotten myself in a fender bender just from people stopping to quick at lights or stop signs or whatever it is.” Amenta said.

Officers want to remind the community to slow down, limit all distractions and pay attention to what’s around you.

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Patricia Martellotti

Patricia Martellotti is a reporter for News Channel 3-12. To learn more about Patricia, click here.

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