By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on April 16, 2012
Think Pedestrian, a newly launched public safety awareness initiative, sponsored by local businesses in cooperation with the United Nations, aims to make the roads in South Africa safer by educating drivers and pedestrians about the risks associated with roadway travel, and the best ways to avoid these dangers.
The significantly large number of deaths caused by traffic collisions in South Africa is a cause for concern to the program’s backers, who are aiming to reduce the number of collision fatalities occurring in South Africa over the next decade.
According to South African highway safety experts, more than 40 percent of all accident fatalities in the country are pedestrians. Throughout the country, approximately 40 traffic collisions occur daily, and about 14,000 occur on a yearly basis, on average.
These statistics, are improving however. The number of traffic accidents occurring over a recent holiday weekend was less than the number that occurred during the same period in the previous year.
In addition to installing speed bumps, road signs, and other highway safety improvement features throughout the country, the Think Pedestrian initiative will focus identifying local road hazards and getting the community involved in the improvement process.
As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I hope that roads become safer for traveles all around the world, but if you or someone you love has been injured in an automobile accident, please consider discussing your options with a Los Angeles car accident lawyer.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on April 2, 2012
This month, the Santa Monica Police Department will begin a program targeted at reducing the number of traffic violations committed by bicyclists. In 2012, to date, the police department has been called out to investigate 37 traffic accidents involving bicycles. In the majority of these cases, the participant not riding the bicycle was found to be responsible for the accident. The most common causes for an accident in which the bicyclist was found to be at fault were either failure to stop at a traffic sign or light, and failure to maintain a safe riding speed. In the state of California, anyone riding a bicycle on the roads has the same rights and responsibilities as anyone behind the wheel of an automobile.
The stricter enforcement program is part of the city of Santa Monica’s ongoing effort to make the city more bicycle friendly. The plan, approved by city council in November will bring 14 new miles of bike lanes, 17 miles of shared lanes, and new lanes buffered by a median strip along Ocean Park Avenue, Main Street, Second Street, and Broadway Avenue. The bill also includes funding for improving cyclist safety at 30 intersections and free driving and cycling safety classes.
As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, I hope the roads can be make safer for motorists and cyclists alike, If you or someone you care about has been injured in an automotive accident, please consider contacting a Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on March 23, 2012
Undercover police officers in North Hollywood issued citations to many drivers and pedestrians recently as part of a sting operation targeting unsafe crosswalk behavior, following a fatal accident that claimed the life of an elderly pedestrian.
The police stopped 60 people, giving warnings to 24 pedestrians and motorists and ticketing 36 others for jaywalking or failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Plainclothes police officers posed as pedestrians as part of the undercover operation, and drivers who didn’t stop for them were issued traffic citations. The police ticketed fourteen pedestrians for crossing the street illegally.
Twenty-seven of the 56 fatal auto accidents that took place in San Fernando Valley involved pedestrians, and an increasing number of elderly pedestrians are killed in collisions every year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of pedestrians killed in traffic each year continues to increase, even as the number of overall deaths decreases. Five pedestrians have been killed in traffic accidents in San Fernando Valley so far this year.
Police conducted sting operations at the intersections of Lankershim Boulevard and Campo de Cahuenga and Ventura Boulevard and Arch Drive.
As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, I want our streets to be safer for motorists and pedestrians alike, but if you or someone you love has been injured in an auto accident, please consider contacting a Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney.
By PSBLawAdm1n on January 23, 2012
As an animal lover, it can be one of the most heartbreaking things you’re ever likely to encounter on the road. You’re driving along when suddenly a deer or a dog or some other animal darts out in front of your vehicle. Your first instinct will be to slam on the brakes and swerve, but this might not always be the best course of action.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Spokesman Russ Rader put it best in a recent report: “These crashes happen so fast, often times drivers don’t have the option of making a decision about what to do, but the best thing, unfortunately, in most cases is to hit the animal and try to avoid swerving or doing something that could cause you to lose control and hit somebody else or an object or go off the road and roll over.”
In 2009, 173 deaths resulted from crashes involving animals, with an additional 12,000 injuries. Deer are the biggest culprits, with upwards of 1.5 million crashes each year, creating more than $1 billion in damages annually.
But what if your own loyal dog gets loose and is in danger of wandering into traffic? Cheryl Conway, a spokesperson for the Aurora Animal Shelter in Colorado, offered some advice. The best thing, she said, is not to chase it, which poses a danger to the animal, yourself, and vehicles. Instead, Conway offered, one should call to it and run in the opposite direction, as if you’re playing a game.
As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I understand how difficult dealing with such an accident can be. But if you’re involved in a crash involving an animal, it’s important to take stock and hire someone who can look at the incident objectively. Find a great car accident lawyer in Los Angeles to sort out the case, and you’ll be better off for it.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on December 27, 2011
According to news sources, a $125,000 bicycle and pedestrian safety grant was awarded to Solano County by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the coming year in an ongoing campaign to increase safety among commuters.
The stated goal of the NHTSA is to specifically increase safety among children by promoting and enforcing helmet laws while skating, biking and skateboarding. The program will also focus on pedestrian safety and will encourage educational programs designed to increase awareness among motorists. The hope is that drivers become more aware of pedestrians on the roadways.
The program will increase coordinated efforts to promote safety practices by creating classroom competitions, bike rodeos and safety assemblies.
The program will also reportedly focus its efforts on limiting distracted driving by raising awareness about practices such as texting while driving.
As a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles, I appreciate all efforts made to ensure higher safety standards to protect motorists and pedestrians. The objectives of this new safety campaign is hopefully a step in the right direction. As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, I hope that supplying this information will assist those wanting to find newer and better ways to stay safe.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on December 20, 2011
According to recent research conducted by Consumer Reports, about forty percent of drivers are said to have opted to delaying repairs and car maintenance decisions due to financial constraints, exposing themselves to potentially increased safety risks.
Among the reasons why it is a problem to delay important maintenance and repair decisions for a vehicle is the increased safety risks associated with such decisions as well as the increased costs incurred to fix the problem down the line. Respondent claimed to have delayed important servicing items decisions such as lightbulb, brakes, tires, along with a variety of other internal mechanical components.
Also of importance is the inevitable decrease in the value of the vehicle due to such delays. About 44 percent of respondents claimed to have felt the value and the safety of their vehicle decrease as a result of these delayed decisions.
The average owner has 78,000 miles on their vehicles, which represents an extremely important safety milestone requiring major maintenance.
As a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles, I deeply appreciate ongoing efforts to ensure that our roads are safer for all who travel on them. For your safety as well as the safety of others, do not postpone major vehicle maintenance decisions as it may lead to dangerous consequences. As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, I hope that the conclusions of the research will lead to safer roads and safer driving habits amongst motorists.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on December 15, 2011
According to news sources, the top vehicle safety picks for the year 2012 were released Thursday by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a result of conducting dozens of crash tests for vehicles on the market to determine the safest options for consumers.
There are many safety categories that a vehicle must pass in order to become chosen as a top safety pick by the IIHS. These categories are evaluated through test crashes to determine any given vehicles strengths and weaknesses. Joining the safe vehicle ranks for 2012 for the very first time are the best selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord vehicles. In all, a total of 115 vehicles have been chosen.
Toyota leads the pack with 15 winners, following by GM and Volkswagen, with each earning 14 to 13 winners respectively.
The winning lineup did not include any pickup trucks on the market today.
As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, I hope that this information will prove useful to motorists. I encourage drivers to pay attention to the road at all times and to understand the safety features available in their vehicles. As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I hope that the conclusions of the research will lead to safer roads.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on December 13, 2011
According to news sources, the National Transportation Safety Board has issued a recommendation to ban all cell phone usage while driving nationwide, in an attempt to clamp down on increasing cases of distracted driving related accident fatalities attributed to cell phone usage.
The recommendation was agreed to unanimously by the boards five member panel, although the NTSB can not effectively implement such restrictions on its own. However, lawmakers and federal regulators do take its recommendations very seriously.
Although states continue to pass legislation essentially banning certain activities such as texting while driving, the recommendation goes beyond the limited scope of existing state laws that target driver cell phone use. Essentially, it would ban the usage of any kind of portable electronic device for those behind the wheel, except in cases of emergency.
As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I find this information beneficial to motorists and pedestrians alike. I have seen many instances of distracted driving cause severe devastation both to those who participate in activities such as texting while driving, as well as those who are victims of crashes caused by distracted drivers. As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, I hope that the conclusions of this campaign will lead to safer roads.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on December 9, 2011
According to news sources, Senate leaders introduced a bill that would tackle bus and truck safety on the nations roadways as the U.S Department of Transportation released a study detailing an increase in annual fatalities attributed to truck accidents.
The bill will reportedly focus on improving safety standards by focusing on medical and training qualifications while imposing mandatory proficiency testing for new motor carriers. The new bill targets driver fatigue and substance abuse by calling for electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) as well as establishing comprehensive alcohol and controlled substance testing records for drivers.
Advocates of the bill claim that the different safety measures included, such as the installation of EOBR’s, will result in safer roadways by reducing injuries and fatalities caused by exhausted drivers behind the wheel.
As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, I find that the conclusions of this study can be useful to motorists and pedestrians alike. I have seen many instances of distracted driving cause severe devastation. I advise you never to leave the scene of an accident. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a car accident, I urge you to contact personal injury lawyer Los Angeles to help you understand the best legal proceedings for your situation.
By Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer on December 8, 2011
According to news sources, a new study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that road traffic fatalities in 2010 decreased significantly to historic lows of 1.10 per 100 million vehicle miles. Advances in safety technologies and increased police enforcement are contributed to helping bring down the numbers.
The conclusions of that the study offers helps shine the spotlight on effective measures and practices being taken that have effectively lowered fatalities on the roadway. These measures can include the advances being made in safety technology by automakers such as side airbags, anit-locking brakes and electronic stability control systems just to name a few.
The study also found that seat belt usage is currently higher than ever, while awareness and enforcement campaigns geared towards preventing drinking and driving seem to be paying off. Future innovative technological advancements to prevent drunk drivers from getting behind the wheels as well as additional automobile safety features will continue to make motorists and pedestrians safer on the nations roadways.
As a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles, I urge all drivers and passengers to comply with existing traffic laws. I hope that this information will help raise awareness around the benefits of wearing seat belts and that nationwide safety campaign currently being enforced can help make people on the road safer. If you have been injured in a car accident at the fault of someone else, contact a Los Angeles car accident lawyer to help you as soon as possible.