Many Los Angeles Elementary Schools Surrounded By Dangerous Streets

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An analysis of traffic collision data has identified a downtown Los Angeles elementary school as being surrounded by the most dangerous streets of any elementary school in the state.

There were 271 car crashes within a half-mile radius of Jardin De La Infancia in downtown Los Angeles in 2015, the most of any elementary school zone in the state, according to a report from Los Angeles law firm Panish, Shea & Boyle based on California Highway Patrol data.

The firm's report, "The Most Dangerous Elementary School Zones In California," is an effort to call attention to the problem of school zone safety and hopefully find a solution, the firm said. The firm was particularly concerned with injuries to pedestrians and bikers near elementary schools.

"I don't want anything happening to my children; I don't want anything happening to anybody's children," a partner at the firm, Rahul Ravipudi, said. "We're trying to take things to the next level and trying to make sure that this place is safer."

To identify the most dangerous areas, the firm counted each car crash within a half-mile of an elementary school -- excluding those on freeways -- as a single point. Crashes in which pedestrians or bicyclists were injured were scored as three points.

About 400 elementary schools in the state scored at least 25 points in 2015, according to the firm. Jardin De La Infancia racked up 129.8 points in the firm's analysis.

The most dangerous school district, in terms of crashes per capita was Oakland Unified. LAUSD was the second-most dangerous on a per capita basis, according to the report.

The Glendale Unified School District ranked third.

That wasn't entirely surprising to kindergarten teacher Natalie Augustine.

"I've seen parents stop in the middle of the intersection, block the intersection," she said. "It's really frightening."

Mario Chiaramonte, a parent, said he's seen evidence of the problem, too.

"Around here people think they're supposed to use the horn instead of the brake," he said.

Teresa Rodriguez, a crossing guard at John Marshall Elementary School in Glendale, said she often encounters aggressive drivers.

"They want to stop on the crosswalk and I say, 'Move! You cannot stop there.' " she said. "And they're still there."