California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
In 2019 there were 244 people killed in car accidents in Los Angeles, California. This number of people killed, whose families may have wrongful death claims for their damages, is 0.8% less than in 2018. While any decrease is good, the small percentage of decrease from 2018 to 2019 is disappointing given the fact that Los Angeles has been on a four (4) year program to eliminate car accident deaths on the streets of Los Angeles. The family members of anyone killed in a Los Angeles car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian accident should immediately contact us by calling 1 866 INJURY 2 or 1.818.222.3400 (after hours press “1”) for a FREE consultation. We have won thousands and thousands of car accident cases over more than 45 years of handling such cases and if we take your case there is NO fee until YOU WIN!
Of the 244 victims killed in Los Angeles car accidents in 2019, reportedly 134 were pedestrians and 19 were biking. This data was released by the City of Los Angeles and reported by the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, February 6, 2020, in the California Section at page B1.
The program to try to eliminate deaths from traffic collisions in Los Angeles is called “Vision Zero” by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Vision Zero was started in 2015, and, surprisingly, the number of motorcyclists, pedestrians, occupants of cars and trucks, and bicyclists killed in car and other motor vehicle collisions then rose 33%! Reportedly, deaths rose in 2016 from 183 to 253, but fortunately have fallen 3.6% since then, to 244 people killed in car collisions in 2019.
One major cause of these continuing Los Angeles car accident deaths is the use of cell phones while driving, according to Michel Moore, the Chief of Police, Los Angeles Police Department.
To try to improve safety, the Los Angeles Transportation Department has made more improvements to the streets in L.A. in just 2019 than in the prior two (2) years combined, including adding or modifying traffic signals, crosswalks, and street and intersection designs. Many of the changes were intended to protect pedestrians with 1,162 crosswalk upgrades and 13 units of flashing lights added to alert drivers of cars and other motor vehicles when a pedestrian is crossing the street.
Pedestrians are involved in only about 8% of traffic accident collisions but because of their lack of protection when struck by the momentum of a very powerful fast moving heavy steel vehicle (weighing two tons or more) they represent about 55% of those killed in traffic collisions.
Clearly, the City of Los Angeles needs to take bold, creative actions to reduce the number of deaths to pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and the occupants of cars, including constant education on the importance of not using any cell phone or other mobile device while driving, especially to high school students in driver education classes, the importance of reducing speed and driving at speeds safe for conditions, never driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, using Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing services after drinking, and simply always paying very close attention while driving!
Should anyone in your family be injured or killed in a L.A. car accident with a wrongful death claim, please contact us now. You will be glad that you did!