Why are drivers crashing into the Golden Gate Bridge Plaza? Accident reason explained amid spikes

A spike in crashes at the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza has transportation authorities on alert, with crash numbers reaching heights not seen for years. The tollbooths, which are no longer in use, have been struck at an unusually high frequency by southbound motorists.

These accidents have rekindled concerns about motorist behavior at the crossing, roadway design and the long-term future of the plaza.

From October 2015, records reviewed by The San Francisco Chronicle show that 45 crashes have occurred at the southbound tollbooths, a figure reaching unprecedented highs since at least 2018.

Almost two-thirds of the incidents occurred in the last four months alone, often with more than one collision a week. Most of the crashes were not serious, but many caused lane blockages, the longest lasting more than two hours.

There is no single clear culprit, bridge officials say. Approximately 1.45 million southbound crossings still occur each month, about the same as when the area received new paving and striping a few years ago; moreover, the plaza configuration had not been updated since then. Rather, the blame seems to rest heavily on driver distraction.

Golden Gate Bridge District and California Highway Patrol officials have described several drivers looking down at their phones, reaching for a fallen FasTrak transponder or even adjusting a pet in their lap moments before impact.

Several of the injury-related crashes were caused by unsafe turning movements as drivers crossed over into the toll barriers, according to the CHP.

Public argue that the physical design of the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza is part of the problem

The bridge’s manager, David Rivera, stressed that the toll plaza has been unchanged for about three years. Denis Mulligan, general manager of the bridge district, also expressed such concerns at an October board meeting when he described crashes involving distracted or unprepared motorists who were driving too fast as they approached the booths.

"The toll plaza is stationary — it doesn’t move. What’s changed is drivers. They’re not paying attention," he added.

Some experts argued that the very structure of the toll plaza was an issue. While toll collectors were eliminated in 2013, when the bridge transitioned to automated billing, the booths still stand.

Constructed in the 1980s and appreciated by some for their Art Deco aesthetic, these buildings are essentially immovable obstacles along a high-speed highway.

Julia Griswold, who directs the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at UC Berkeley, said expecting drivers alone to steer clear of errors is not realistic. She cited Caltrans’ Safe System Approach, which advocates roadway designs that mitigate the effects of inevitable human error.

“There’s not much of a reason to have them there,” Griswold said, noting that the tollbooths were a “fixed object” that could cause substantial damage if hit. Getting rid of them, she said, would make the system more forgiving and help reduce the chances of collisions.

Some other Bay Area bridges are already switching to purely open-road tolling with no booths whatsoever. The district is already in the process of installing an automated toll gantry by 2027, at which point officials could begin a formal assessment on the removal of the remaining structures.