At least 182 people have died on CA Hwy 62 since 2002. More than 90 lives have been lost since 2007. The risks of dying on Hwy 62 make this highway a dangerous road to travel and the stretch of Hwy 62 from 29 Palms to Palm Springs one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in California. Marines from the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center and personal injury attorneys who represent grieving families know all too well what is known as “The Killer Highway.”
What is the reason behind all of these crashes and fatalities? A Look At The Road Itself
The speed limit ranges from 65 mph down to 35 mph. Interstate 10, from which one can catch Hwy 62 to Twentynine Palms and beyond is a much faster, much busier and at times, especially after an 18 wheeler rollover, a much more congested highway.
Hwy 62, however, doesn’t have medians separating the oncoming lanes and collisions with oncoming traffic are much more powerful than rear end collisions. At sunrise and sunset, drivers can also be blinded as they travel from east to west on the highway.
Clearly the road itself as it winds and bends up a steep grade going eastbound and down tha
t steep grade and around curves as it goes westbound is partly to blame. Much of Hwy 62 is unlit.
It isn’t just car accidents that occur on Hwy 62. In August 2014, two people on a Harley Davidson were killed when their motorcycle crossed into another lane, and clipped another vehicle.
Just in November 2014, pedestrians were killed on Hwy 62 both in Joshua Tree and Morongo Valley.
Are The Drivers Themselves On Hwy 62 Doing Something Different?
Surprisingly, an analysis by the local newspaper determined that at the hotspots for crashes on the highway, there was a below-average percentage attributable to alcohol or drug impairment.
Many drivers today are addicted to their smart phones and the addiction, if anything, is getting stronger. The next time you’re sitting at a long light in your car, look around at how many drivers have their eyes down, looking at their cell phones.
Yet, fatal crashes have become less frequent on Hwy 62 the last few years. Which begs the question, are drivers on Hwy 62 not using their cell phones as much as they were in previous years, or when they have gotten involved in more recent crashes, have they managed to escape death and just been badly injured?
Why Have So Many Marines Died on Hwy 62 And What’s Prevented More Recent Fatalities?
The 29 Palms Marine Base is home to over 13,500 troops, 500 sailors, and also trains another 40,000 military personnel each year.
A 2008 study from the Center for Naval Analyses found that marines who returned from deployment in the previous three to six months were 60 percent more at risk of dying in a vehicle accident. Combine that with the dangers of Hwy 62, and this may be a factor in the number of fatalities on The Killer Highway.
Marines are trained to be fearless so they can survive in a war zone. It’s understandable if they feel invincible after such training. But does that type of mindset make them more likely to be involved on a civilian highway? Marines are indeed warriors. But they are also trained to avoid injury and death to themselves or others. The last thing they want to do is to survive a war only to die at home or cause the death of another.
However, since 2007, at least 30 military service members have died in vehicle crashes while stationed in Twentynine Palms. Of the 30 deaths, 22 of those Marines were under the age of 25. A dozen of these accidents were on Hwy 62, but Hwy 62 is the main highway in and out of Twentynine Palms. In addition, there have been other civilian fatalities involved in accidents with Marines. More than one-third of the 28 Marine deaths involved alcohol. Speed was reportedly involved in more than half.
Desert residents and military members and their families find it understandably difficult to accept this tragedy - that Marines can risk their lives in a war zone to protect America, then thankfully come home safe, only to die at home in a senseless car accident.
What is understandable to anyone who can imagine the stress a Marine must endure, is that since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, drinking in the military’s armed forces has increased significantly. According to studies, binge drinking and heavy drinking are most prevalent among the armed forces in the Marine Corps. Since 2007, 64 Marines have died while stationed in the U.S., mostly in the High Desert. The most common causes of death have been car accidents and suicide. Alcohol has contributed to both causes.
From news reports, it appears it has been over 7 months since a Marine has been killed in the high desert on Hwy 62 or on another road in the High Desert. This may be in part due to an exemplary mandatory defensive driver training program on the base and a liaison program designed to ensure that Marines can be driven home by a sober driver after being out on the town in the low desert.
In addition, Marines who own a motorcycle must participate in at least three safe riding courses, and a refresher course every three years.
Unfortunately, the Marine Base is isolated. It’s located in a remote and mostly empty and dark area of the desert, nearly 50 miles from the city of Palm Springs which offers more in the way of entertainment. Fifty miles and a good hour of driving is a long way to go if it’s late at night, whether or not you’ve had anything to drink.
With nothing nearby but the open desert and small towns with little to offer in the way of entertainment, drinking comes with the territory for young Marines stationed or trained in Twentynine Palms before being asked to risk their lives in war zones and dangerous training exercises.
Hwy 62 Road Improvements
Yucca Valley, a community approximately halfway between Twentynine Palms and Palm Springs, and the largest segment of Hwy 62 that slows in speed, has spent nearly $6 million to increase driver and pedestrian safety on Hwy 62. These improvements may also be helping to lower the number of fatalities and accidents.
Morongo Valley, another community further along the highway from Yucca Valley as one travels down Hwy 62 from the high desert to the low desert, has also added hundreds of plastic posts with reflectors to help drivers make the drive down. In 2015, Morongo Valley will also receive new medians, similar to those in Yucca Valley.
In 2015, Twentynine Palms is also adding stop lights at two intersections. Pedestrian deaths have also occurred far too frequently in the city. Jaywalking across the busy highway has been the cause of fatalities in the high desert, just as it has been in recent months in Cathedral City as people attempt to cross Ramon Road in the low desert.
Clearly these road improvements will help. But even on what has long been “A Killer Highway” the actions taken by the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center shows that drivers themselves can make a big difference when they recognize their part in avoiding accidents.
The Desert Landscape
Some might argue that a factor in the number of fatalities on Hwy 62 is the desert mentality. That the roads themselves, the desert landscape, the speed limits that people feel they can safely exceed when they don’t see a CHP vehicle in the rear view mirror or on the road ahead, and the straightaways cause all drivers to have a false sense of security when they’re driving.
Single car accidents with cars running off the road happen all too frequently on this highway, especially on stretches where there is less traffic, higher speed limits, wide open desert and a narrow sandy shoulder. If a driver is sleepy or not paying attention, when they approach a curve, there is no margin for error.
If you need a personal injury lawyer from a car accident in Twentynine Palms, or an injury you received in a truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian accident in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, any other city within the Coachella Valley, Orange County, or anywhere north or south on the coast of California or in the desert, call Attorney Sebastian Gibson at (760) 776-1810 or toll free at (855) WHAT NOW. Put the experience of our law firm on your side and protect your rights.
