Oakland Car Accident Lawyer Reports On Stepped Up Efforts to Reduce Car Accidents

The numbers tell the story. Oakland car accidents were taking their toll. In 2006, 38 people were killed and 1,749 injured in car collisions. Alcohol related collisions accounted for 16 fatalities and 235 injuries. Something had to be done.

It began with a program called Selective Traffic Enforcement (STE). Combining innovate strategies and additional law enforcement services, the program reduced the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions. Officers assigned to STE's Traffic Enforcement Unit responded to accidents, focused on hazardous intersections, and took an active part in traffic awareness presentations to local groups. The Traffic Unit worked together with Police Service Area commanders and the Crime Prevention Teams to beef up areas beset by unsafe traffic conditions and impaired or unlawful drivers.

Going the extra mile to further reduce crashes and fatalities, Oakland next proceeded to install red-light cameras in many of the city's busiest intersections. At a cost of $4.3 million, the city set up more than a dozen 24-hour cameras and flash sensors--at 20 intersections--similar to the installation at San Leandro Boulevard and 66th Avenue. To ensure irrefutable detail, the system captured a 12-second video of each violation. The system was designed to catch red-light speeders in the act, affording them as little "wiggle room" as possible.

"Time and again, speeding has been shown to cause some of the most dangerous car accidents," said noted car accident lawyer John Bisnar. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) noted that excessive speed was a contributing factor in 1/3 of all fatal crashes last year. Worse yet, speeding and alcohol form a lethal combination with studies showing that 41% of drivers involved in speeding accidents had a BAC over 0.08."

Pulling out all the stops to reduce the number of auto accidents in the city, Oakland also recently put into place a Traffic Crash Analysis Tool. The system instantly provides a narrative of crash reports, collision diagrams and maps. Faster access to this data has helped reduce losses caused by traffic accidents. (One retired state trooper noted that every crash could cost the city $1 million.) The exhaustive database is ideal for analyzing collisions at intersections. It's invaluable in quickly determining how many crashes have occurred at a specific intersection and any factors that may have contributed to the collision--like weather conditions, alcohol, animals, time of day and dozens of others. A preponderance of rear-end collisions at an intersection, as an example, might suggest a timing problem with traffic lights. Although available in the past, this information has been costly and difficult to sort through.

For more information, read "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Personal Injury Claim" by California personal injury attorney John Bisnar. The book is free to accident victims--just go to www.BestAttorneyBooks.com to get a copy sent to you, or you can buy one at www.Amazon.com. Please see other BISNAR | CHASE California car accident lawyers.

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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.

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