Safe Speed Forums

Highway 17 slide closes one southbound lane near Sims Road
By Cathy Kelly ckelly@santacruzsentinel.com Posted: 03/28/2011 02:12:01 PM PDT

APTOS -- At least two new slides were reported on county roads today, including on southbound Highway 17 between Sims Road and Pasatiempo, the California Highway Patrol reported.

That slide, at about 11:15 a.m., closed the slow lane and backed up traffic for several miles, the CHP said. The lane is expected to be closed until at least 2:30 p.m., a CHP dispatcher said.

Another slide was reported about 8:45 a.m. today near Pleasant Valley Road and Freedom Boulevard, CHP reports show.

The slide was small, and covered about 4 feet into the road, officer Sarah Jackson said.
But it caused one driver to swerve and lose control of her car, Jackson said.

An 18-year-old Aptos woman was taken to Dominican Hospital with injuries which appeared minor after veering away from the slide into the oncoming lane, losing control and slamming into a fence and some mailboxes, she said.

The teen was driving a 1997 Volvo wagon, she said.

"The key to driving on our roads now is to pay attention and drive at a safe speed, so that you can slow and stop when you see a road hazard and then pass when it's safe," Jackson said.