According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), there were 667 fatal accidents and 52,229 injury accidents in Los Angeles County for the year 2008. Anyone who lives in Los Angeles County, or has ever driven there, probably doesn’t find these statistics surprising. To say that the traffic is a mess is an understatement. Estimates are that there are about 12 million vehicles on the Los Angeles freeway system on any given day. While Los Angeles does have one of the biggest and most well developed freeway systems in the world, that still makes the chances of being involved in a car accident fairly high. So why can’t all 12 million cars drive smoothly throughout the county without accidents? According to Los Angeles personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, accidents happen for a variety of reasons, but there are a few that stand out as the most frequent causes.
Driver error is clearly the most common cause of car accidents says Los Angeles personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates. Driver error, however, can be a rather large category. The biggest sub-category within the driver error category is distracted driving. Drivers that are talking on cell phones or texting cause the most accidents, however other driver distractions cause accidents as well. Among the other forms of driver distraction are: talking to passengers; eating; dealing with children in the car; reading; applying make-up; dealing with pets in the car; and looking at other accidents. All of these forms of driver distraction can cause the driver to take his eyes off the road and in that split second cause an accident.
Drowsy driving is another big cause of accidents in Los Angeles County. “People simple do not recognize when they are too tired to drive” comments Los Angeles personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger. Whether they have been working late, didn’t sleep well the night before or are taking prescription or over-the-counter medication that makes them drowsy, the bottom line is that when someone drifts off while driving they frequently drift into someone’s else’s lane and cause an accident.
Road conditions can also play a part in car accidents. While the weather in Los Angeles County doesn’t require many to worry about driving in the snow, the rain and fog can be just as dangerous. Heavy rains can cause roads to be slick requiring drivers to alter their speed accordingly. Fog can drastically reduce visibility – also requiring driver’s to lower their speed. Los Angeles personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates tells us that many drivers fail to adjust their speed according to changing weather conditions with serious and sometimes fatal results.
Vehicle defects or failure can also be the cause of tragic accidents. As we have all heard recently, a design defect in a vehicle can lead to fatal car accidents. Mechanical problems that are the result of normal wear and tear can also lead to car accidents. Bald tires, for instance, can cause a blowout which in heavy freeway traffic can produce devastating results.
If you have been the victim of a car accident in Los Angeles and would like to have an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer evaluate your case, feel free to contact Los Angeles personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates through his website at www.ledgerlaw.com or at his toll-free number 1-800-300-0001
