Los Angeles Auto, Motorcycle, & Truck Accidents
Posted on December 20, 2016 Written By: iadminlaw
Los Angeles has a lot of traffic and that means a lot of accidents. Avoiding certain intersections or streets is the best way to minimize your involvement in an accident, whether caused by distracted driving or a driver who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Learn where accidents happen in Los Angeles and how you can protect yourself from them.
Yearly Totals
The city of Los Angeles is divided into five sections: Central, Rampart, Hollenbeck, Northeast and Newton. As of September 17, 2016, the Los Angeles auto accident rate increased overall with 1,638 accidents in all areas, compared to 1,405 in 2015. These statistics were broken down by the type of accident:
- There were 333 DUI-related accidents in 2016, up from 320 in 2015, which is an increase of 4 percent.
- Los Angeles saw 4,210 hit and run accidents in 2016, up from 3,837 in 2015, which is an increase of 10 percent. Of these, 3,480 involved property damage in 2016 and 3,171 in 2015, an increase of 10 percent.
- In 2016, accidents involving pedestrians increase to 572 from 538 in 2015, which is an increase of 6 percent.
- Accidents involving bicycles decreased 4 percent in 2016, from 475 in 2015 to 457 in 2016.
Of these accidents, 20 were fatal. The breakdown includes four fatalities in Central, two fatalities in Hollenbeck, six fatalities in Newton, six fatalities in Northeast, and two fatalities in Rampart. In these areas, the top five worst intersections are:
- Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard in Central;
- Alvarado and Temple in Rampart;
- Daly and Main in Hollenbeck;
- Avenue 26 and Figueroa in Northeast; and
- Central and Slauson in Newton.
The worst intersections for pedestrians are:
- 6th and Spring in Central;
- 6th and Alvarado in Rampart;
- Soto and 4th in Hollenbeck;
- Avenue 60 and North Figueroa in Northeast; and
- Avalon and Vernon in Newton.
You can reduce your chances of being involved in an accident by avoiding these intersections whenever possible. You can also reduce chances of accidents by carpooling whenever possible. With less vehicles on the street, there will be less accidents.
Los Angeles County Roads
On the roads that are patrolled by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in the state, 2,017 people were arrested for suspicion of drunk driving in just the first 2 ½ days of the Labor Day weekend. In just Los Angeles County, 382 were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving between 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 6:00 a.m. on Monday. Two people died in traffic accidents on roads patrolled by the CHP in Los Angeles that weekend. On Labor Day weekend in 2015, 393 people were arrested for DUI and 10 people were killed.
No one maintains statistics of accidents on highways versus surface streets; however, both are dangerous because of the amount of traffic on the roadways. While highways do not have stop lights or people coming to a nearly complete stop to make a turn, they have their own issues that are complicated by speeding and tailgating. One of the most common and dangerous activities on highways is lane changing. Drivers should stay in one lane as much as possible and not make any quick lane changes. Those who like to hop from lane to lane to try getting through a traffic jam faster will only cause a larger jam or will cause another accident.
These issues are also present on surface streets, particularly the surface streets with two or more lanes in the same direction. With surface streets, you have stop signs and lights, people turning into businesses, homes and other roadways, pedestrians and bicyclists. Add speeding or following too closely, and you have a recipe for disaster. Other causes of accidents include running off the side of the road and turning left in front of oncoming traffic.
Motorcycle and Truck Accidents
In 2014, Los Angeles motorcycle accident rates increased by 12.1 percent from 463 crashes in 2013 to 519 crashes in 2014. Motorcycles are more likely to be involved in accidents because people simply don’t see them. You can lower your chances of being hit on a motorcycle and needing a motorcycle injury attorney by installing brighter tail and brake lights, and brighter front and rear running lights. Most riders also know to look out for other drivers as they know many drivers do not watch for motorcycles.
The L.A.. Times found that four areas of highways are the most likely places for truck accidents. According to the publication, Los Angeles truck accident data shows that 710 at 60 at the East L.A.. Interchange, the 710 between 105 and 91, where 60 and 57 converge and on highway 5 between 710 and 10 have the most truck accidents. The publication reports that human error is the leading cause of traffic accidents, but additional factors play a big part in accidents at these four places. Those include limited capacity, merging traffic, congestion and trucks and smaller vehicles being at the same place at the same time.
Contact iAccident Attorneys
Do you have questions about an accident you’ve been a part of? If you or a loved one have been involved in an accident and are needing a Los Angeles accident lawyer, call iAccident Attorneys at (800) 920-0810 to schedule a consultation. You may also contact us by visiting our website.