Hawthorne/Eddinghill Near-Miss Analysis

​The Safety Concern

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Residents of Rancho Palos Verdes reported near-misses and collisions involving left turn movements at the four-way intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard, a major arterial, and Eddinghill Drive/Seamount Drive, which are local streets. The California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA-MUTCD) thresholds did not justify a protected left-turn signal. The City sought an evaluation, and GTS served as the prime traffic engineering and technology consultant

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​Why a Traditional Analysis Was Not Enough​
 

Under CA-MUTCD criteria, based on collision history, delay, volumes, sight distance, and other factors, the intersection did not meet the criteria for protected left-turn phasing. However, residents continued to report close calls. GTS addressed this disparity between the driver experience and the initial data findings by introducing near-miss analytics to support proactive safety measures. To collect the necessary data, a standard traffic camera was placed on an existing utility pole at the intersection at a height of 25 feet above ground level to achieve a clear view of the whole intersection. 100 hours of daytime footage were collected. Using an AI-driven model to analyze more than 45,000 vehicular turning movements, the team developed a risk baseline that tied operational conflicts to actual speeds and reaction-time margins.

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Key Findings​

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The results revealed a clear pattern: over the course of 100 hours there were 278 near-misses, of which 64 percent were associated with vehicles turning left from Hawthorne Boulevard onto the minor streets. For every 1,000 turning vehicles, 102 near-misses occurred, a rate of more than 10 percent. Combined with the site’s offset median geometry, which can sometimes allow opposing larger vehicles to block sight lines, and the 45-mph operating environment, the findings made a compelling case for action.

 

As a result, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes made the decision to upgrade the traffic signals at the study intersection to include a protected left-turn phase. The near-miss analysis allowed the City to make an accountable, data-driven decision to allocate funding to implement this proactive safety measure. The traffic signal improvements are currently at the 100% design stage and awaiting implementation.

 

This project advances the profession by demonstrating how near-miss analysis can become a standard tool for proactive safety. While the CA-MUTCD standards are based on crash history, this proactive approach emphasizes the implementation of safety improvements before crash thresholds are met, preventing injuries and damage before they have the chance to occur. Furthermore, the near-miss analysis was accomplished without the need for LiDAR or other specialized technologies in the field, using a standard traffic camera mounted on an existing utility pole, at minimal cost to the City. The approach is replicable, cost-effective, and, most importantly, it can save lives.