Batavia police: Randall Road crash numbers, causes remain the same, despite recent fatalities

The number and type of crashes on Randall Road in Batavia have not changed significantly over the last seven years, according to a Batavia police study conducted after two deadly crashes earlier this year.

Police initiated the study after fatal crashes occurred on Feb. 24 at Randall Road and Mill Street and March 25 at Randall Road and McKee Street.

Maggie Espinosa, a mother of five and a former kindergarten instructor, died in the March crash, which involved a vehicle turning left.

As part of the study, the Batavia Police Department reviewed crash data, enforcement, roadway conditions, and other contributing factors. On Monday, the department released a report on its findings.

“The data guides us in where to focus our enforcement efforts,” Police Chief Eric Blowers said in a statement. “By continuing strong enforcement, increasing public awareness and evaluating roadway conditions, we can work toward reducing crashes and saving lives.”

Randall Road Traffic Crash Assessment 040226.pdf

Some residents have discussed on social media whether having flashing-yellow left-turn signals at intersections along Randall has made matters worse.

Those signals, called permissive left-turn arrows, were installed in 2020. Police say there were 4.21% fewer crashes recorded two years after the installation.

The report shows drivers need to do a better job of yielding to oncoming traffic when making left turns. They also need to avoid going through an intersection on red or yellow lights.

Driving too fast is also a significant cause of crashes, the report states, commonly the reason for rear-end collisions.

According to the report, 767 crashes were reported from Jan. 1, 2019, to March 31, 2026. That works out to about two a week.

The only fatal crashes happened this year. No injuries were reported in roughly 90% of the crashes.

As to whether more police enforcement of traffic laws is needed, the report notes that between Jan. 1 and March 31 of this year, 32% of the city’s 2,151 traffic stops occurred on Randall. That’s an average of 8.18 traffic stops per day on Randall.

Twenty-one percent of traffic stops were done on Kirk Road. The rest were citywide.