Lancaster Car Accidents Due to High Collision Intersections

As most Lancaster car accident lawyers will tell you, the city suffers from congested intersections that are frequently the sites of serious car accidents. Lancaster is the 9th fastest growing city in the United States, and with a population topping over 145,000 residents, it's also the eighth-largest city in Los Angeles County.

More drivers, more traffic and more auto accidents have all contributed to some unsettling statistics for Lancaster. According to the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), in 2006, there were 15 car accident fatalities and 802 traffic accident-related injuries in the city. Alcohol-related accidents resulted in six deaths and 61 injuries. Motorcycle accidents killed one and injured 16. Five pedestrians were killed and 41 were injured in city traffic accidents. And in 2007, 26 vehicles were involved in fatal car collisions within city limits.

As one might expect, car accident rates were higher at many of Lancaster's busy intersections. Surveys conducted at troublesome intersections revealed that red-light scofflaws were responsible for many car collisions. To stem the rise in car accidents, the city enlisted the help of red-light cameras, which went up at four accident-prone intersections. Red-light runners were captured on still shots and video. The images were used to evaluate each incident and to issue tickets.

"Catching red light runners is an important step in reducing car accidents at intersections," noted John Bisnar. "Convincing these drivers to change their behavior can save lives."

Lancaster's red-light camera program was very successful, resulting in an 80 percent decrease in T-bone car collisions caused by red-light runners. Data from one year prior to the installation of the traffic cameras was compared to one year following their installation. The result: the intersections had 20 injury accidents a year before the cameras were went up and just four car accidents annually after the cameras were installed.

Like many red-light camera operations, Lancaster's systems capture four photographs: one before a car crosses the limit line, another after it enters the intersection to show direction travel, a shot of the red light, and one of the driver and their license plate. In addition, a 12-second motion video of the violation is also available for review by police officers. The footage is reviewed, records are run and, if warranted, a ticket is mailed to the offender with a one-month time frame to respond.

Lancaster also employs a number of other traffic enforcement techniques to prevent car accidents. Among these are laser speed guns to help drivers reduce speeds, speed panels at various busy streets; and license-plate recognition technology to improve overall traffic safety.

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.