Davis

FACTS & PROCEDURE

Accident Location: State Route 62 Joshua Tree The accident occurred at the intersection of State Route 62 (SR-62) and Juniper Road near the town of Joshua Tree. SR-62 is an east-west highway; Juniper Road is a north-south dirt road that crosses SR-62. Davis was traveling east on SR-62 and had stopped to make a left turn onto Juniper Road, when her car was struck from behind by a car driven by Amber Delote. Although originally SR-62 was a two-lane highway, by 1970 it was widened to a four-lane highway with two 12-foot wide lanes going each direction with a two-foot paved outside shoulder on each side. Over the years, the average daily traffic volume increased significantly, from 5,700 vehicles in 1970, to 18,000 vehicles in 2007.

All further statutory references are to the Government Code, unless otherwise indicated.

2 In 1996, when the federal speed limit was abolished, the posted speed limit on SR-62 went from 55 to 65 miles per hour (MPH), although just east of Juniper Road it drops to 55 MPH and then to 45 MPH as the road continues east into Joshua Tree. When the accident occurred in 2007, the east and west bound lanes of SR-62 at the Juniper…