Wow... I've got a little extra air in my chest and spring in my step tonight. Yes. I was just informed by my local 11 o'clock news (which I rarely watch, but everything happens for a reason) that the three most dangerous intersections in Los Angeles are right smack in the middle of the grand district of Van Nuys, CA.
It just so happens that I spend A LOT of time driving through this part of town, and indeed these intersections. Drum roll please, here they are:
1) Coming in at the top spot with 47 crashes last year (2019) is the beautiful intersection of Sherman Way and Sepulveda Blvd.
2) Second place goes to Burbank Blvd. and Sepulveda Blvd. where one of the primary entry points to the famed Interstate 405 (aka "snore-O-5") lives and breaths every single day at 8:00 am and 4:30 - 5:00 pm. 43 crashes there last year in 2019... And also in Van Nuys, CA.
3) And last but not least is the intersection of Sherman Way and Woodman Ave. Hmm... Are we seeing a pattern here? Yes we are! Because... This intersection is also in Van Nuys! Woo hoo! Number of crashes at the number three spot? That would be 40.
Doing the math brings us to a total of 130 crashes last year in 2019. Now this begs the question, why does Van Nuys hold this title in a city as large and sprawling as Los Angeles? I'm not quite sure. That part of town is generally pretty mellow, although if you go out looking for trouble, you'll probably find it.
But beyond that, one reason could be the exorbitant quantity of strip clubs and billboards advertising those strip clubs at virtually every single corner; above the guy with the paper sign begging for cash who's there in the same spot... literally every day.
And speaking of that guy, maybe it could be the spectacle of the sheer quantity of homeless encampments, also on every single corner. And not just in Van Nuys, by the way. I personally get a kick out of seeing virtual garbage dumps and homeless communities just down the block or around the corner of a $2 Million per home neighborhood in Hollywood and surrounding areas.
Or it could also be because half the population here in Van Nuys is pretty much stoned all the time. Seriously, you can't drive down the street with your window down for more than 45 seconds without catching the vapors from some a-hole's mobile hotbox while cruising down Oxnard Street... Oh yeah, where there also happens to be another strip club and two pot dispensaries... One of which used to be a bicycle shop. My how people's priorities change.
A lot to look at and watch out for. Too bad people aren't watching out for the stop lights instead.
