Fountain Valley Car Accidents Lowered Due to Sobriety Checkpoints

Fountain Valley accident attorneys will tell you that car crashes frequently occur on Friday and Saturday nights when drunks get behind the wheel and take to the streets. Although it has fewer car accident-related fatalities than many cities its size, Fountain Valley in Orange County, California, is a middle-class bedroom community with a population over 58,000 that is involved in its share of car accidents.

Lower-Than-Average Car Crashes and Related Fatalities

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2001 to 2003, 12 fatal car accidents occurred in Fountain Valley. This averaged out to 2.2 fatal car crashes per 10,000 people, which was lower than the national average.

In 2006, the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) indicated that four people were killed and 476 were injured in Fountain Valley car crashes. Pedestrian accidents injured 14. Motorcycle accidents injured 34 and bicycle accidents injured 28. Drunk drivers caused 28 injuries. On April 29, 2008, a seven-car collision at the intersection of Talbert and Magnolia killed one person and injured several others.

Orange County and California Car Collisions Also Decline

Across Orange County, California Highway Patrol statistics indicate that car accident fatalities dropped about 9 percent from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, 59 people died in 51 fatal car collisions, compared to 65 deaths in 58 car crashes in 2007. Surface street car collisions caused 79 deaths in 2008, compared to 128 in 2007. California overall experienced a 23 percent drop in highway deaths--1,349 people died in 1,219 fatal car collisions in 2008, while 1,749 people died in 1,529 car crashes in 2007. These car accident statistics include freeways, toll roads and state routes.

DUI Checkpoints Spearhead Efforts to Reduce Car Crashes

In its proactive efforts to reduce car collisions in Fountain Valley, the Fountain Valley Police Department set up a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on December 28, 2007 at the intersection of Brookhurst and Talbert at 11:00 p.m. Augmenting this effort were roving checkpoints on Friday, December 19th, 2008, from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. These sobriety checkpoints are conducted to remove drunks and other traffic violators from Fountain Valley streets. They comprise an effective arm of Fountain Valley's Over the Limit, Under Arrest campaign, and they also help educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving, as well as the importance of designated drivers.

Many Fountain Valley car crash lawyers endorse these proactive measures to keep impaired drivers off streets and highways. They see the aftermath of car accidents caused by irresponsible motorists who insist on driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Be on the Hit-and-Run Lookout

BISNAR | CHASE, in conjunction with WeTip, a leading anonymous crime reporting service and law enforcement advocacy non-profit organization, is launching a program intended to wipe out hit-and-runs in the state of California by offering rewards for tips leading to the arrest and felony conviction of hit-and-run drivers. See Hit-and-Run Reward for more details.

BISNAR | CHASE 2006-2010 Super Lawyers names outstanding lawyers from more than 60 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. BISNAR | CHASE has received this award for five consecutive years. Brian Chase was named one of the 2010 Top 50 Orange County Lawyers.