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Traffic Collision and Fatalities in California |
Article Submitted by: Mesriani Law Group
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
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STATISTICS OF CAR ACCIDENTS Traffic collision in California has dropped to 3,400 last year compared from nearly 4,000 in 2007, or a decline by 14 percent, according to a statistics from the US Department of Transportation. This finding is also supported by the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents highway safety departments in all states. According to the group, traffic fatalities in the country declined by 10.7 percent last year, the biggest drop for more than 40 years. Citing its statistics conducted last year, the safety group found that majority of the states show a remarkable decline of car accidents. However, car accident fatalities increased in some states including Wyoming, Delaware, Vermont, and New Hampshire. PROBABLE REASONS FOR THE DECLINE Barbara Harsha, the safety group's executive director, attributed the decline of traffic fatalities to the high gas prices and weak economy in the US that force people to drive less, thus reducing car-related deaths. Harsha's statement is supported by a study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration which shows that the number of miles people are driving each month starting in late 2007 up to the third quarter of 2008 had drastically declined. High prices of gas have another favorable result: more people are reducing their speed for fuel efficiency. Many states reported that incidents of over-speeding had drastically declined, thus resulting to fewer cases of crashes. With this finding, traffic experts believe that the higher prices of fuel, though not favorable to the economy, may be good in reducing the numbers of speed-related fatalities. Meanwhile, Harsha also attributed the decline to the drastic increase of seatbelt use. According to a government study, 83 percent of car occupants in 2008 were using safety belts. In California, there is a mandatory seatbelt law called the Motor Vehicle Safety Act that prohibits anyone aged 16 years and older from driving or riding a car without using a safety belt. ALARMING RATE OF HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS IN CALIFORNIA While the 14 percent decline of traffic fatalities in California is a good sign, the state's four major highways were included in Fox News "Top 10 Deadliest Stretches of Road in America". The study was based on the number of traffic deaths over the last five years. The I-15, a wide and long stretch of road in San Bernardino County, is considered as the most dangerous highway in the US. Ironically, this is the reason why this road has the highest fatalities as drivers are likely to over-speed. Because this highway is also linked to Las Vegas, a popular place for gamblers and drinkers, drunk drivers are not uncommon in this road. These are the other California highways which are included in the top 10 most dangerous roads in the US: I-10 in Riverside County which ranks second, I-5 in Los Angeles County which ranks third, and I-5 in San Diego County which ranks in eighth position. Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
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