Nearly 1 in 3 California Traffic Injuries Occurs in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA, November 22, 2012 (Press-News.org) If that number seems high, consider this: For each person killed in a California traffic accident that year, another 84 people were injured.

In Los Angeles County alone, 513 people lost their lives in car accidents in 2010, nearly one-third of the state's 1,615 traffic fatalities. Another 50,153 were injured on Los Angeles roads that same year, CHP reported.

Speeding Accidents Remain Steady After 30 Years

Statewide, speed was the primary factor in more than 30 percent of car accidents involving injuries and fatalities. That rate is consistent with national data on speeding-related deaths and injuries, which have remained stubbornly unchanged for decades, the Governor's Highway Traffic Safety Association reported recently. While the numbers of injuries and deaths have fluctuated from year to year, federal officials have expressed frustration and disappointment that speeding deaths and injuries have not decreased in proportion to other types of accidents in more than 30 years.

Speeding drivers are more likely to cause accidents because they have less time to react to changing circumstances, such as abrupt changes in traffic speed or the sudden appearance of other vehicles or hazards on the road. In addition to making collisions more likely, speeding also increases the chance that a crash will be more severe. This is because the impact generated by a car crash increases dramatically at higher speeds, greatly increasing the risk of serious injury to the occupants of the vehicles involved. In addition, at higher speeds, a vehicle's built-in safety features such as seatbelts and airbags may be less effective at preventing injuries.

The Hidden Benefits of Los Angeles Traffic

Considering the number of serious traffic accidents caused by speeding, Los Angeles residents have one surprising factor working in their favor: road congestion. A number of studies have shown that traffic deaths occur less frequently in heavily congested areas because congestion forces drivers to slow down. In Los Angeles, where the traffic is widely considered to be some of the worst in the nation, frustrated drivers may take comfort in knowing that the city's notorious gridlock may actually save lives.

People who have been injured in California traffic accidents may be able to obtain financial compensation to cover the costs of their injuries, lost income, medical expenses and other harm they have suffered as a result of the crash. To learn more about filing a personal injury lawsuit after an accident, contact a Los Angeles car accident lawyer experienced in obtaining compensation for people affected by traffic accidents in the Los Angeles area.

Article provided by Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law
Visit us at www.vrslaw.com/