If it seems that Southern California has an unusually high amount of car accidents than other parts of the country, then you are correct. Due to large numbers of cars on the road, challenging highway infrastructure, negligent driving habits such as excessive speeding and texting, and a host of other factors, our cities are indeed worse than others when it comes to traffic accidents. USA Today ranked Los Angeles as the worst city in the nation for traffic, and Forbes magazine put five California cities in its list of top 25 cities with the worst drivers, including Glendale (5), San Francisco (10), Los Angeles (14), Fullerton (16), and Torrance (24). And while bad driving is a common topic of conversation in California, the consequences are tragic. Due to all these factors, we now know that traffic accidents are indeed the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 2 and 14 in Los Angeles.
LA’s Vision Zero Project
All in all, 200 people a year die in traffic collisions every year in Los Angeles (that number rose to 260 in 2016), and that number is exponentially higher when suburbs and the Inland Empire are included. As a result of the city’s status as one of the most dangerous in the nation for traffic death, Los Angeles implemented the Vision Zero Project in 2015 in an attempt to eliminate all traffic deaths by the year 2025, and reduce the amount of deaths by 20% by 2017.
Note that the project focuses on eliminating traffic deaths as opposed to traffic collisions, which organizers recognize are impossible to totally eradicate with current conditions. The project includes strategies such as:
- Creating safer conditions for pedestrians at high-impact intersections by installing curb extensions
- Implementing “Leading Pedestrian Intervals” at accident-prone intersections which give pedestrians a head start in crossing the street to avoid impact with cars
- Installing “Pedestrian Scrambles” at busy intersections, which allow pedestrians full access to an intersection for a given period while cars are stopped on all four sides of the intersection
When You’ve Been Injured in an Inland Empire Collision
Although these measures appear to be significant and needed improvements on behalf of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, it is, of course, the case that accidents will continue to happen, causing devastating financial, physical, and emotional costs to victims and their families. When they do happen, though, help is available to get the recovery you deserve from liable defendants.
If you have been involved in a car, truck, or bus accident in the Inland Empire, the personal injury attorneys at McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP can work with you to obtain maximum recovery in either a settlement or at trial. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury attorney.