Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
SERIOUSLY HURT. TWO PEOPLE IN
THE CAR, MICHAEL AND MARIE
WARGO-- BOTH OF RANDOLPH-- WERE
TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.
ALSO TONIGHT -- NO ONE
INVESTIGATES LIKE NEWS 4. WE
BEGAN INVESTIGATING ACCIDENTS AT
THIS ROUND-ABOUT IN HAMBURG WHEN
THERE WAS A FATAL CRASH THERE
LAST YEAR. TONIGHT, OUR
INVESTIGATION IS EXPANDING.
ARE ROUNDABOUTS CREATING MORE
HARM THAN GOOD?
NEWS 4'S LUKE MORETTI IS HERE
WITH HIS SPECIAL
ASSIGNMENT...LUKE.
WE WANTED TO SEE HOW DRIVERS
HANDLE ROUNDABOUTS... WE PICKED
TWO LOCATIONS...ONE IN
HAMBURG...THE OTHER ON GRAND
ISLAND.. AFTER THAT...WE PULLED
THE ACCIDENT DATA TO SEE THE
NUMBERS...BEFORE AND AFTER THE
ROUNDABOUTS WERE INSTALLED.
SO MANY SIGNS...SO LITTLE TIME.
(( MOTORIST: SO CONFUSING !))
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ROUNDABOUTS
-- DESIGNED TO KEEP TRAFFIC
MOVING AT LOW SPEEDS. BUT...
(( PAULA LONG/INVOLVED IN
ACCIDENT: I WAS IN THE CIRCLE ,
AND HE HIT ME. )) A YEAR LONG
NEWS 4 INVESTIGATION HAS
DISCOVERED THAT SOME OF THESE
CIRCULAR INTERSECTIONS HAVE
ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED MORE
ACCIDENTS AFTER THEY WERE
INSTALLED.
(( WE'RE COMING THIS WAY , AND
HE'S YELLING AT ME . I'M LIKE I
DON'T HAVE A YIELD. YOU HAVE A
YIELD. )) WE BEGAN LOOKING AT
THIS ROUNDABOUT AT BIG TREE AND
SOUTH PARK IN THE
TOWN OF HAMBURG AFTER KENNETH
BRAUN'S FATAL ACCIDENT ABOUT A
YEAR AGO.
(( NOVEMBER 2011/ RENEE
WALL/SISTER OF ACCIDENT VICTIM:
THE TRUCK STARTED ON FIRE AND HE
BURNED TO DEATH. ))
ACCORDING TO THE STATE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, 11
ACCIDENTS HAPPENED AT THE
HAMBURG INTERSECTION DURING THE
YEAR BEFORE THE ROUNDABOUT WAS
INSTALLED. BUT LOOK AT THIS.
THE NUMBER OF
ACCIDENTS JUMPS TO 19 IN THE
YEAR AFTER THE ROUNDABOUT BECAME
OPERATIONAL.
(( LUKE MORETTI: SO WE HAVE TO
YIELD TO SEE WHAT OTHER TRAFFIC
IS ACTUALLY IN THE CIRCLE. IN
THIS CASE I ACTUALLY HAVE TO
COME TO A STOP. )) IS THIS A
CASE OF SOME PEOPLE JUST NOT
FAMILIAR WITH THE RULES OF THE
ROUNDABOUT?
LET'S TAKE A LOOK. ON THIS DAY
OUR CAMERAS DOCUMENTED A MAN
RIDING A BICYCLE THROUGH THE
MIDDLE INSTEAD OF USING THE
LANES.
HE THEN RIDES BACK THROUGH,
ACROSS THE MIDDLE, INTO ONCOMING
TRAFFIC.
HERE'S A MOTORIST DRIVING ACROSS
THE CENTER OF THE ROUNDABOUT
INSTEAD OF USING THE LANE.
HERE'S A DRIVER SIGNALING TO GO
LEFT ...BUT ACTUALLY GOES
RIGHT..
AND WE FOUND SOME DRIVERS
NAVIGATING THE ROUNDABOUT WHILE
TALKING ON A CELL PHONE.
(( JOE RACZYNSKI/ERIE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE: IT IS SOMEWHAT
CONFUSING TO PEOPLE WHO AREN'T
USED TO THEM. )) JOE RACZYNSKI
OF THE ERIE COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE WATCHES TRAFFIC AT THIS
ROUNDABOUT ON GRAND ISLAND. HE
SAYS THE KEY HERE IS TO YIELD
THE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO VEHICLES
ALREADY IN THE CIRCLE.. AND
PEDESTRIANS IN THE CROSSWALK.
(( WE HAVE ENTERED THE CROSSWALK
AND THIS IS CONSIDERED PART OF
THE CROSSWALK . THEY SHOULD
STOP. THIS LADY HERE SHOULD HAVE
STOPPED. )) BUT AS WE QUICKLY
FOUND OUT NOT EVERYONE IS
FOLLOWING THE RULES OF THE ROAD.
(( JOE RACZYNSKI/ERIE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE: WE WERE
STANDING HERE WAITING TO CROSS
THE STREET. WERE YOU GOING TO
STOP AND YIELD THE RIGHT-OF-WAY
TO US? WOMAN IN VEHICLE: I WOULD
HOPE SO, YES. JOE RACZYNSKI/ERIE
COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: WERE
YOU GOING TO, THOUGH? WOMAN:
YES. JOE RACZYNSKI/ERIE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE: YOU WERE?
WOMAN: YES. JOE RACZYNSKI/ERIE
COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: YOU
KNOW THE RATE OF SPEED IN WHICH
YOU STARTED TO COME AROUND THE
CORNER WOULD INDICATE TO ME THAT
YOU WEREN'T GOING TO THOUGH. ))
AND IT'S NOT ONLY PROBLEMS WITH
PEDESTRIANS HERE ON GRAND
ISLAND.
OUR CAMERAS DOCUMENTED MOTORISTS
TURNING RIGHT AND THEN CUTTING
BACK INTO THE CIRCLE.
MAKING A U-TURN TO GET BACK IN
THE CIRCLE. AND HERE'S A DRIVER
HONKING THE HORN AT
PEDESTRIANS..
ONLY TO BE FLIPPED OFF. NOT
JUST ONCE... BUT TWICE.
AND THEN THERE ARE THE
ROUNDABOUT SIGNS. LOTS OF SIGNS.
SO MANY CHOICES WITH LITTLE TIME
TO DECIDE.
(( JOE RACZYNSKI/ERIE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE: STUDIES HAVE
SHOWN THAT THE MORE SIGNS THAT
YOU PUT UP ..THE LESS PEOPLE PAY
ATTENTION TO THEM. ))
(( SUSAN SURDEJ/NYS DEPT. OF
TRANSPORTATION: THERE'S THE ONUS
ON THE DRIVER TOO, TO BE AWARE
OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS AND PAY
ATTENTION TO THOSE SIGNS, AND
PAY ATTENTION TO THE DRIVING
THAT THEY'RE DOING. LUKE
MORETTI: SO YOU DON'T THINK
THERE'S TOO MUCH SIGNAGE AT THAT
GRAND ISLAND SITE? SUSAN SURDEJ:
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE'S TOO
MUCH SIGNING , AND
THERE'S ALSO SIGNING THAT'S
REQUIRED WITH ROUNDABOUTS. )) SO
HOW DOES THE GRAND ISLAND
ROUNDABOUT STACK UP WHEN IT
COMES TO ACCIDENTS?? ACCORDING
TO THE STATE DOT... THERE WERE
THREE ACCIDENTS DURING THE YEAR
BEFORE THE ROUNDABOUT WAS
INSTALLED, AND SIX IN THE YEAR
AFTER IT BECAME OPERATIONAL.
(( SUSAN SURDEJ: EVEN THOUGH
THERE MAY BE AN INCREASE IN THE
NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS , THE TREND
IS THAT THE ACCIDENTS ARE LESS
SEVERE BECAUSE OF THE WAY A
MODERN ROUNDABOUT OPERATES VERUS
A TRADITIONAL INTERSECTION. ))
KEEP IN MIND THERE ARE ALL SORTS
OF FACTORS INVOLVED WITH
ACCIDENTS...WAS THE DRIVER
PAYING ATTENTION?? IMPAIRED??
CONFUSED?? THE ONE THING IS
CERTAIN...NOT EVERYONE IS DOING
WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE
DOING..
: DID ACCIDENTS INCREASE AT ALL
: DID ACCIDENTS INCREASE AT ALL
ROUNDABOUT LOCATIONS IN THE
: DID ACCIDENTS INCREASE AT ALL
ROUNDABOUT LOCATIONS IN THE
AREA??
DOT REPRESENTATIVES SAY NO...AND
THAT SOME PLACES ACTUALLY SAW A
DECREASE IN ACCIDENTS AFTER THE
ROUNDABOUTS WERE
SAY NO...AND THAT SOME PLACES
ACTUALLY SAW A DECREASE IN
ACCIDENTS AFTER THE ROUNDABOUTS
WERE INSTALLED... ALSO...IF YOU
GO TO WIVB.COM...WE HAVE POSTED
SEVERAL VIDEO CLIPS THAT OFFER
GUIDANCE ON WHAT TO DO AT
ROUNDABOUTS...