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Los Angeles Police Office Seeks to Crack Down on Distracted Drivers’ Destruction
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-lopezcolumn-20100503,0,4276097,full.column
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez teamed up with Los Angeles Police Officer Kamaron Sardar this week on a mission to catch distracted drivers. Lopez’s editorial, which appeared in the Times on Monday, highlighted four of the many citations issued during his traffic observation with Sardar at Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz.
According to Lopez, it took only five minutes for the duo to spot their first distracted driver, who was talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device. Sardar went on to write four citations within a one-hour time period.
According to distraction.gov, a US Department of Transportation website, there are three primary types of distracted driving: Visual (taking one’s eyes off the road), Manual (taking one’s hands of the wheel), and Cognitive (taking one’s mind off of what one is doing). Distracted driving activities include talking or texting on a cell phone, eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading maps, changing the radio station, or using a navigational device. According to the website, there were nearly 6,000 deaths in accidents related to distracted driving in 2008, with an additional 515,000 injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident due to a distracted driver’s negligence, please contact experienced and aggressive personal injury attorneys today to learn about your legal options. At Law Office of Renee J. Nordstrand, we offer free consultations and no fees until we win your case.
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Ventura County Seeks to Address Number of Traffic Fatalities, Raise Awareness
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/feb/06/a-chance-we-all-take-daily-asdfasdfaaaaaaaaaa/
A comprehensive examination of car accidents by the Ventura County Star and the Scripps Howard News Service reveals that three factors contribute time and again to traffic fatalities across the country, as well as in Ventura County.
In the Star’s study of 627, 433 nationwide traffic fatalities over a span of 14 years (1994 through 2008), thirty percent of fatal accidents involved drunken drivers. Thirty- two percent involved drivers who were traveling at an unsafe speed. Forty-three percent of traffic fatalities were not wearing seat belts. Further, many accidents involved a combination of two or all three factors. These statistics correspond with the countywide statistics of 1,096 deaths from traffic incidents during the same time period.
According to the article, driving is one of the most dangerous activities of daily living, however, awareness of its inherent risks is low and often ignored. As the number of distracted drivers on the roads continues to rise with the onset of cell phone applications, text messaging, and a culture consumed by busyness and activity, cars and commutes have shifted from simply a means of transportation to extensions of one’s life at the office or home. Distracted drivers will surely factor into future statistics on the primary causes of traffic accidents.
In the midst of overwhelming statistics, please do your part to eliminate car accidents by driving undistracted, wearing a seat belt, and maintaining the speed limit.
Serious car accidents can severely affect a person’s life, through physical injuries, medical expenses, a loss of transportation, and emotional stress. If you’ve been involved in a car accident, exercise your legal rights and call Los Angeles Car Accident Attorneys today. If you’ve lost a loved one in a traffic collision, experienced car accident attorneys can help. We will protect your legal rights so that you are free to focus your attention on the grieving process and family. Call today for a free consultation.