Car Accidents in La Palma Down Thanks to Increased Traffic Enforcement Efforts

As many La Palma car accident lawyers acknowledge, car collisions are not uncommon in this small community of 16,000 people. La Palma in northern Orange County, California was listed in 2007 as the 16th best place to live among small cities (50,000 or less) in the U.S. by Money Magazine and is taking steps to reduce its car collision rate.

You can ask any La Palma car accident attorney and get virtually the same answer: car crashes are not uncommon in this small community of 16,000. La Palma in northern Orange County, California was listed in 2007 as the 16th best place to live among small cities (50,000 or less) in the U.S. by Money Magazine and is taking steps to reduce its car collision rate.

If one looks back at statistics from 2001 and 2003, the city suffered three fatal Orange County car accidents, this, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Crunching the numbers, that works out to 1.9 fatal car crashes per 10,000 people, or lower than the average nationally.

Moving ahead to 2006, accident statistics compiled by the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) indicated that as many as 63 people were injured in La Palma car crashes. Also injured were two pedestrians, five bicyclists and two motorcyclists. Those who insisted on getting behind the wheel while intoxicated were blamed for eight injuries. Sit down with any car accident lawyer and they'll admit, La Palma is focused on making its streets safer.

One way the city is committed to eliminating car crashes is through its photo enforcement program. The city has set up a red-light camera at the troublesome intersection of Walker Street and La Palma Avenue. As reported by Stop On Red, Orange County, a nonprofit coalition of hospital trauma centers, emergency nurses associations, law enforcement, and red-light running victims, Orange County was second highest in the state for fatal red-light crashes. Sadly, motorists running red lights or failing to stop at a traffic signal cause most of urban car crashes.

Another powerful tool used by police to prevent car crashes is the DUI and Driver's License Checkpoint. These are frequently conducted along La Palma Avenue and Valley View Street. Police not only "write violators up" but often arrest drunk drivers on the spot, taking them out of circulation. Sobriety checkpoints serve another useful purpose: they raise the public's awareness of the risks and dangers associated with impaired driving; they also remind motorists to plan ahead and designate a sober driver to take them home if they drink too much. A growing number of La Palma car collision lawyers agree that sobriety checkpoints have been effective in improving the safety of city streets.

DUI tragedies can no longer be ignored. In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. That works out to one DUI fatality every 39 minutes. Also in 2006, 306 children age 14 and younger lost their lives in DUI car collisions.

La Palma car crash lawyers know that lives can be saved and injuries prevented if impaired drivers can be removed from city streets. Many of their clients have suffered tragically when motorists disregard traffic laws and hit the road after they've hit the bottle.

Since their founding in 1978, Bisnar Chase lawyers have represented over four thousand people in car, motorcycle, truck, pedestrian and other personal injury cases. The law firm has an "AV" rating, the highest level of professional excellence, by Martindale-Hubble. John Bisnar, who is the author of this article, and his partner Brian Chase each have a "10" Avvo rating, the highest possible. John was named a "Community Hero" by the United Way, while Brian was named a "Trial Lawyer of the Year" in 2004 and one of the 2007 Top 100 Trial Lawyers. More important than all their top ratings and awards are the testimonials their clients bestow on them. Aren't these the type of guys you want representing you? For more information on La Palma car accident lawyers, visit the Bisnar Chase web site at http://www.bestattorney.com or call 1-800-561-4887.

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