TRAFFIC DEATHS MOST IN 13 YEARS 'NO CONSISTENT PATTERN' FOUND TO COMPARE CAUSE OF FATALITIES.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The past year was the deadliest in 14 years on Santa Clarita city streets, where 16 people died.

Sheriff's traffic investigators are at a loss to explain why fatal collisions increased in 2002, noting that no pattern emerged in comparing the crashes.

``These are all unfortunate circumstances,'' said Sgt. Clint Bowers of the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station. ``But there's no consistent pattern that we can look at. Some are speed, some are (driving under the influence), and some are weather-related.''

The sheriff's department began its first full year of patrolling Santa Clarita Streets in 1989, about 18 months after the city incorporated. There were 21 traffic collisions that year, killing 22 people, but since then the numbers had dropped significantly.

In fact before last year, the previous three years combined had 17 fatalities on city streets.

Capt. Don Rodriguez, the station commander, responds to all fatal crashes in Santa Clarita.

``It's personally just devastating to lose someone from the community in such tragic incidents,'' Rodriguez said. ``I feel a personal responsibility.''

A January high-speed solo-vehicle crash started off the year, killing two. Saugus High School students Robert Smith and Sheldon Bell died on Bouquet Canyon Road when Smith, 17 and unlicensed, hit a retaining wall at 100 mph.

Four months later, Patricia Marsh, 48, of Canyon Country and Mark Harden, 22, of Sylmar were killed on Sierra Highway when their car crossed the concrete center median and hit a pickup truck head-on. Test showed Marsh was drunk.

In early November, local residents Michael Clark, 21, and Kristen Corbitt, 29, died when Clark lost control of his pickup truck, hit four cars, then slammed into a parked semi-truck. That collision is still being investigated.

Four separate collisions on Soledad Canyon Road over the year killed a father, a dog groomer, a motorcyclist and a man trying to catch a city bus.

Now, in hopes of making the roads safer, sheriff's deputies are stepping up traffic patrols this year.

``We're definitely stepping up our enforcement,'' Bowers said.

The station has added a third motor officer for traffic enforcement and created a multiagency task force to look at the problem valleywide.

In addition to enforcement, station officials in conjunction with city officials have started a media campaign with the aim of changing local driving habits.

``We're working with the city on trying to educate people of their driving habits,'' Rodriguez said. ``We want people to become safer, better drivers.''

Bowers said the presence of motor officers and the threat of parking tickets should improve safety.

``They will see us out there and people will think about driving more responsibly,'' Bowers said. ``They'll be telling their friends of their experiences, and their friends will also drive more responsibly.''