Car Accident Archive
Distracted Driving at an All-Time High with Teen Drivers Most at Risk
All drivers – but especially teenagers – should think first and foremost about safety, but cell phones, text messaging and traffic have taken distractions to an all time high. The result is all time high numbers of accidents. All drivers are susceptible to these distractions, but research shows more experienced drivers can control these distractions, but younger, less experienced driver cannot. As a result, younger, less experienced drivers cause more accidents.
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week
The California Highway Patrol, in partnership with the American Occupation Therapy Association, recognizes this week as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. To help California’s senior drivers maintain their driving independence for as long as they can safely drive, the CHP offers a 2 hour “Age Well, Drive Smart” program supported by the Keeping Everyone Safe grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. The program allows senior drivers an opportunity to tune up their driving skills, refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road and learn about normal age-related physical and mental challenges and how to adjust to them.
Halloween is a Scary Night on the Road
Halloween is a night full of fun for trick-or-treaters. Keep an eye out for little ones in costume and pay extra attention to pedestrians, as they may be unaware of their surroundings or have difficulty seeing through costumes and masks. Trick-or-treaters – especially small children – can seem to appear out of nowhere; drive extra cautiously.
Talking to Older Drivers About Safe Driving
Last week a 91 year old driver struck and killed a woman on Girard Ave in La Jolla. The elderly driver was backing out of a parking spot and never saw that she backed into the woman, pinning her between the moving vehicle and a parked car. The woman died on the way to the hospital.
Teen Driving
The fiery crash that killed five teenagers last weekend during a late-night drive from Knott’s Scary Farm was a sad reminder that traffic accidents are the No. 1 killer of American teenagers. Almost 3,000 13- to 19-year-olds die in auto crashes each year in the U.S., according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. More than 400,000 more are injured.
Court Rules Drivers Can Use Map App on Phone While Driving
While stopped in heavy traffic, Steven Spriggs pulled out his smartphone to check a map application to find an alternate route around the congestion. A CHP officer spotted him holding his phone and cited him for violating CA Vehicle Code Section 23123, which prohibits drivers from “using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving.” Spriggs fought the ticket on the grounds that he was not talking on his phone, but only looking at a map. It would not have been illegal for Spriggs to look at a paper map while driving. After losing at the trial level, he appealed and the appeals court reversed his conviction, stating:
Delay Tactics by Insurance Company Sparks Outrage
Fred Dickey’s 2/24/2014 column in the San Diego Union Tribune is a must read for all. The column is about an 83-year-old woman who was severely injured in a car accident caused by a 17-year-old driver. The 17-year-old personally apologized to the woman for causing the accident so there is no dispute about who was responsible. At the scene, the woman had to be cut out of her car and life flighted to the hospital. She spent 5 months in the hospital and her hospital bills were more than $800,000. She still has pain from her injuries but, worse yet, she is no longer be able to live on her own and she has been forced to rely on relatives for her care.
New California Driving Rules Go Into Effect Jan. 1, 2014
AB 1371, known as the Three Feet for Safety Act, a driver passing a bicycle that is traveling in the same direction must maintain at least 3 feet of distance between any part of the vehicle and any part of the bicycle or rider. When 3 feet is not possible, the motor vehicles are required to slow to a “reasonable and prudent speed” and pass only if there’s no danger to the bicyclist. Violations can result in a fine, regardless of whether a collision or injury to the bicyclist results. This law takes effect Sept. 16, 2014.
Woman Dies in 7-Car Accident in Tarzana
A 64-year-old female driver of a Saturn Ion died instantly in a chain reaction traffic accident allegedly caused by a drunk driver recently in Tarzana, California. The woman’s car folded in on itself from a rear impact leaving it in an unrecognizable state. The crash involved seven cars and was started by a 33-year-old male driver who then went into a local convenience store and bought a six-pack of beer.
Know Your Options as an Injured Motorist
If you have been seriously injured in a car accident in San Diego that you believe was caused by another driver’s negligence or their outright disregard for the safety of others, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit or claim to recover damages. There is no question that accidents happen. When an accident occurs due to another individual’s irresponsible actions, such as texting while driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or any other sort of driver distraction, the other driver can be held liable for any injuries they caused.
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