" I'm just waiting for a commenter to blame this one on the design of the road! It's so like our lovely Napans to do that. "

" Hawkeye, thats funny, like saying when you trip in the house, it was on the pattern in the carpet..LOL "

" This doesn't make any sense...

The driver was airlifted to Santa Rosa with "a fractured ankle" and the passenger was taken to QVMC with " two broken ankles...."

There must have been something more serious for the driver to have to be airlifted somewhere. If not, that is one HUGE AND UN-NECESSARY EXPENSE, as well as an innapropriate use of emergency services.

Hopefully the two men are ok, and thank goodness no one else was involved or hurt. "

" Another twenty something involved in an injury accident. Any one detecting a trend here? Happy first day of Summer! "

" OK, enough with the trolling about the traffic controls and road safety.

Just like the accident article it was mentioned - this is a DUI on 29, not an accident on Silverado Trail.

I don't understand all of the opposition to even considering whether or not there are any traffic controls that can be implemented on ST to make it a safer road, when there are injury/fatality accidents on it with alarming regularity. Is it the fear of change? What is it with the attitude about it, rather than a clear reason, whether it's "I don't think the county should spend the money" or "I really don't care about people dying on the Trail". So, oh wise ones who know best: kindly enlighten the rest of us as to why it's such a terrible idea so that the idea can either be openly discussed and either implemented or put to bed. Thanks. "

" entity:

First of all, there's no money to "fix" these roads that, quite frankly, have nothing wrong with them...so no matter what safety brainstorm you believe you may have, it's a moot point because it simply isn't happening.

Second...just for the sake of argument, most of these wrecks lately have ALL been DUI, or "suspected" DUI. All. I hate to be fatalistic about it, but really what it sounds like we need are more cops on these roads, rather than blow millions (that we don't have) on "improvements" that will likely NOT reduce the number of events such as these because hey...these people are DRUNK. It doesn't matter what "safety" stuff is on the road because they're automatically driving in an impaired state.

If you're running your car up a hillside & breaking ankles, chances are a safety barrier is going to mess you up pretty well, too. "

" selim: My original thought was "what can be done to make a roadway that seems to have an unusually high incidence of accidents safer?" - be that increased enforcement, traffic controls, public safety signs and announcements, speed limit adjustments, route changes, or other ideas - I am not a traffic safety expert, but it seems to me like it may be a good idea to consider what can be done, if anything, to make that stretch of road safer. It seems like people get killed there a lot and if there is a chance to at least improve the situation, isn't it worth looking at? Not all of the ST traffic is drunk - but then again, this whole area has a disproportionately high DUI rate, unsurprising given the nature of local commerce. Given that fact, maybe the appropriate answer to my first question can be found in the answer to another question "what can be done to reduce the number of DUIs in the valley?"

Of course, I still think "close ST to all but bus/commercial traffic, have buses run every 15 minutes, and put a park n'ride at either end" isn't such a bad idea!

As for money - raising funds for massive works is difficult, yes - but who says that any solution is necessarily expensive? Maybe there are cost-effective measures that can be taken that will either solve the problem or help mitigate for the time being. I think everybody would win that way. "

" Entity: Don't get me wrong. I'm all for safety devices and extra patrols. However, my point is, it ultimately comes down to the drivers. If the drivers weren't drinking, distracted and careless, then accidents like this wouldn't happen in the first place. There's a fine balance in implementing safety devices and getting the point across to drivers to be more responsible. If we put in rumble strips, then widen shoulders, then install safety barriers, then install bubble wrap (I'm kidding about this one but you get the point), then how far do you go in "idiot proofing" our world? We would be essentially "dumbing down" our drivers if we take expensive safety devices too far. We'd be giving drivers the message that it's okay to continue driving irresponsibly because no matter how bad you drive, you're covered by these safety measures. In other words, we'd be enabling bad drivers. There comes a point where it's too much. Safety measures must be carefully considered. I'd rather see extra police patrols. That way, we're hitting bad drivers where it hurts, without enabling them; their wallets and their licenses. This will continue to be a hotly debated issue. "

" lnrcoles - the reason the driver was airlifted is because when the ambulance got at scene the found the driver hanging partly through the window when they got at scene.

what they didn't know is that a passerby that arrived at scene tried to pull the driver out of the car and then took off.

the medics and flight crew know what they are doing and won't just fly someone out if they dont think they have major injuries. "

" Another example why the cops have to do DUI check points. "

" hawkeye: Right on the money!

entity: Listen to hawkeye. "

" hawkeye:

if you believe that the solution to the problem lies with people, how do you propose to handle that? Extra DUI patrols and checkpoints would be a good step, I agree, but do you think there could possibly be another means? One of the chief complaints I've heard against extra police is the cost as well as the potential impact on tourist business. Being tagged for DUI often means less repeat business. (Personally, I'd say we as a valley could do without that kind of customer, but I've heard it mentioned before.) I'd be all about it, but their are plenty of naysayers against extra patrols, not the least of which seems to be a cash-strapped budget.

How about some signs, for a start? "Have a Drink/from the Vine/If You Then Drive/With Death You'll Dine/Burma Shave". Too much?

Is there any way that wineries could be encouraged to take more responsibility for the safety of their patrons on the roads?

I'd love it if I could tell everyone to stop drunk driving and have them listen, but it's not happening. I'm not suggesting that we go out of our way to make a "drunk-friendly" road, either, but one that's less lethal in general might be nice. The message I think that's being sent out right now is that we have a major chunk of our economy devoted to inviting people to the valley to drink alcohol on a long, dark, twisty, yet highly-trafficked road. It doesn't have to be that way - and surely we can do it without sacrificing the "look and feel" of the Trail and the Valley as a whole. "

" Jeez, how did our elders ever survive driving these terrible roads? Oh, wait, aren't they the ones many complain about driving poorly? Confusing.
Impatience, poor driving skills, and poor driving maneuvers have a lot to do with motor vehicle mishaps. Alcohol doesn't improve things either. Additionally, our media presents images in new car commercials of everyone doing racing and pro driving stunts. Along with very small lettering..."closed course, do not attempt this." Not being familiar with a road is a good reason to slow a bit.
But then, someone will get angry and try something foolish. It's a challenge trying to figure out what strangers are thinking when they're behind the wheel. It seems respect for fellow motorists is becoming extinct, or is a more rare commodity than in days gone by. "

" Entity: We agree 100% on one thing, and that is drunk driving is totally unacceptable. You mention the extra cost of patrols and you are totally correct. But safety measures are expensive too. I also agree with signs reminding our tourists to behave themselves. Like you said people do say DUI arrests are bad for business. Well, so are DUI related deaths. I'd say that's a very weak argument to point out that the threat of a DUI arrest is bad for our valley. That's because tourists normally don't travel alone. Why not set up a designated driver practice where one person tastes wine one day, while the other drives alcohol-free and then switch roles the next day. Or the designated driver only has A SIP at every third winery, provided the tastings are spaced out enough and with food. Wineries even allow tasters to sip and spit. There are ways for tourists to enjoy our wineries without anyone driving drunk. Take a limo if you can afford one. Promote the designated driver idea with pamphlets handed out by hotels and wineries. And I agree too, entity, that perhaps the wineries can help promote responsibility for their patrons. Including, if they see somebody drive away drunk, call the police.

I worked in a hotel and one night had someone come in looking for a room. He had a beer can in his hand and was clearly intoxicated. As soon as he left, I grabbed a phone and called 911 as he got into a car (passenger). The police nailed them before they could even leave the car park. Turns out they were ALL drunk. Felt good to get a boozer off the road!! "

" lnrcoles: probably to observe for head injury. "

" Well for those of you wanting some punishment for driving under the influence I have good news for you. The driver with the broken ankle just got himself a $20,000 bill for the helicopter ride to go along with the standard DUI costs and penalties. Most likely his insurance, assuming he has insurance, will not cover the cost of helicopter transport for a fractured ankle. "

" people who get DUIs drive drunk all the time! They just don't get cought all the time. You could hand out all the pamphlets you want, but these people are most likely alcoholics, or just irresponsible. Either way, I think that the penalty for DUI should be even stiffer than it is. We are never going to keep people from getting drunk. But if the fine for a DUI was 20K instead of 5K, maybe we could cut down on the numbers. Then, the money could go for extra patrols, which could catch more DUIs, and collect more money. I'm liking it! As for the drunken tourists, let them learn you can't get drunk, drive, and kill people in the Napa Valley. "

" Good comments and concerns on this. Let me offer what I believe is the bottom line. Rural, two lane highways are inherently dangerous, and are even much more dangerous than urban freeways, believe it or not. I think the only reasons that 29 seems safer than the trail is the amount of traffic on it (you really have to go with th flow in the daytime) and the fact that it is straighter than the trail. On these two lane roads, we are all vulnerable to someone crossing the center line, whether drunk or not paying attention, someone pulling out from a side road in front of us, turning left, tired of following a slow tourist and making a bad pass. Every time we get out there, it's a crap shoot as to whether we're going to get to our destination, and engineering can only do so much when it come to driver error. We need to be real defensive out there. "

" Gee Hawkeye – you are such a Good Samaritan…you could have given them a room instead of allowing obvious drunks back into their car and out onto the road? I shudder to think of the possibilities had the police not stopped them in time. "

" Most of the Silverado Trail accidents have not been related to DUI's. I suspect that many of them involve vineyard employees returning home after a long day and being on the phone. They travel over the center line. There is no forewarning. Rumble strips would help a lot. They are not that expensive.

Silverado Trail is not just some other country road. It's a heavily traveled, high speed windy road that's used by Upvalley employees and tourists. It's used by people traveling to Lake County, including large trucks heading in that direction. ST is not just some rural road used occasionally by tourists.

Does anyone remember that accident several years ago where a man was traveling between that narrow bridge on ST, crossed the line (it doesn't take much to cross center at that point because the road narrows and vehicles are squeezed together) and was killed when he collided with a semi? Actually, I think the trucks should stay on Hwy 29. and should not be permitted on Silverado.

We need pull out areas for tourists, occasional slow lanes to accommodate them, rumble strips, signs to make people aware of their driving habits, and we need to take transportation vehicles off ST. Tourist vehicles should be permitted to use ST but they must pull into the slower lanes (assuming they're ever built). These measures will save lives.

Also remember, that there are "innocent" victims in many of these accidents, people minding their own business while driving along. The nature of use on Silverado Trail should justify higher safety measures. "

" I have seen programs where the DD wears a pin and when they go into a restaurant, bar, etc are given free soft drinks. Implementing something like this with the wineries would be a good idea.

I have also thought that all cars should be modified. It'll never happen in this economy, but I believe that all vehicles should be equiped with a breathalizer inorder for you to start your engine. Then there is no way anyone could drive over legal limits (unless they have a sober friend blow into it, but then why isn't that person driving?) I know that things like this exist for repeat DUI offenders, so why doesn't the auto industry just make it standard on every vehicle? It would save a lot of lives. "

" Old Napan: First of all, they wanted a room for half of what the rate was. I would've lost my job for allowing that. Furthermore, they were loud, rude and obnoxious. I worked at a very small inn and for sure there would have been complaints from other guests about them. I offered to let them leave their car there and call them a cab to a cheaper hotel, but they refused. Until the police arrived of course. Then they had no choice. "

" localchick: I agree with that idea too. If the whole car load is drunk, then nobody will be able to get the car started. So it still forces at least one person to be sober. Probably more than likely, the sober one would do the driving anyway. But we can't do much about the devious ones who aren't drunk to blow for them. Unless....

Here's an idea (far fetched right now). The car installed breathalizer has a retina scanner installed to positively ID the blower/driver. As soon as that person moves out of the driver's seat, a weight sensor in the seat trips and the car once again won't start until the right person does it again. That would make switchie switchie more difficult. And if the weight sensor is tampered with, it immobilizes the car altogether. And the retina scanner also has a camera with face recognition to make sure the driver's seat has the correct person on the weight sensor and blower. Just a thought for the future............. "

" Well, I've been following some of the ongoing comments reguarding Silverado Trail and how deadly it seems and feel I should share a few things. First of all, the question about why the driver with only a single leg fracture was airlifted is simple. Because he was intoxicated the emergency responders could not be sure if he was just drink, or if he had a head injury. Brain injuries and intoxication can present the same way. The protocal in this county is that any possible brain injuries are airlifted to a trauma center equippted to deal with that. Now, as for the Trail. I keep seeing posts about how the county needs to make "safety improvements" to the Trail. Yea, more patrols may help a little. Yea, you could widen the road, put concrete dividers down the middle of the whole thing, add bump strips, add stop lights and stop signs, add old tires and mattresses to the sides, reduce the speed to 5 miles an hour, or better yet just make everyone walk instead of drive... The problem here is we are getting to the point we are trying too hard to protect people from their own bad choices. Most of the DUI crashes aren't tourists, they are our young peolpe, our locals, who make mistakes. We need to focus on education in the schools. There really isn't any more to be done to the Trail to change the problem. Sure you could dump billions into road work and billions into buying peoples winery property to widen the road, but then they'd just crash on the next road they turned onto. We are missing the cause of the problem. "

" Hawkeye - thanks for the detailed clarification...certainly makes more sense to me now. "

" "Of course, I still think "close ST to all but bus/commercial traffic, have buses run every 15 minutes, and put a park n'ride at either end" isn't such a bad idea!" -----

I certainly hope, entity, that this is a joke. If you close Silverado Trail to all vehicle traffic except shuttle buses, do you realize the gridlock that would occur on Highway 29? I drive upvalley every day and on the occasions when one of the two routes is closed because of a traffic accident, the other becomes a parking lot.

Bad idea...not even funny. "

" norcalgal:

I do not disagree with you that flight nurses and medics would not make rash decisions and transport a patient for "no good reason." I am aware that flight nurses and medics are the one of the highest trained emergency response teams available, however, I was just making a statement that the info given in this article was VERY VAGUE, AND THAT BEING AIRLIFTED FOR A "FRACTURED ANKLE" SEEMED A BIT OVERBOARD FINANCIALLY AND AN INNAPROPRIATE USE OF EMERGENCY RESOURCES.

Thank you for enlightening us on what happened. "

" Very good followups indeed, thanks to everyone for your real thoughts and ideas on this topic!

Free soft drinks with a Designated Driver pin is a great idea. I like the ideas for pull-out areas, slow lanes, and restriction of truck traffic, too - or perhaps some road widening instead.

I agree with the comment pointing out that it seems like less of the accidents on ST are actually drunk driving, too - they're just by regular people who for some reason cross center line and head-on with someone else for whatever reason. Maybe a little extra engineering could help. Pull-off areas could potentially help with tired commuters, for example.

It's nice to think of the "old days" when maybe there wasn't so much traffic, people were more careful, had less on their minds and so forth - but those days are over. It's a complicated world out there. "

" xmrs09: Yes, I realise it's an unrealistic idea :)

The bit about putting in some park and rides, though, is perhaps less so. Make them shiny, make them secure, and make sure there is plenty of timely transport available up and down the valley for hire, at a variety of price points. That might work. "

" There isn't a chance in heck the airlifted driver will be paying for that helicopter ride out of his pocket.

That bird's gotta fly to justify its budget. Having it waiting in the wings is part of what makes our health care system the best in the world. Using it when 4-wheeled transportation would be more than adequate typifies why we all pay so much. "

" It's sad when people want some safety items and stuff like the ill fated Napa Trolley seemed to have no problem with funding. It went on for years. Saw The Trolley at various points about town, and it was rare when that huge smoke belching thing had even 1 rider. It did, however, add many layers of dust from it's passing to the front of a friends house along it's route. So, I guess it wasn't a complete bust(?) "