Riverside Car Accidents on I-10 Make It Among Deadliest in US

Riverside's I-10 highway has gained notoriety as the nation's second deadliest road for car accidents. So says a Fox network news study, which reported that 182 lives were lost in a five-year period due to Riverside car accidents on the I-10. The same study also revealed that California has four of the country's top 10 most accident-prone roads.

Just a year ago, a blazing Riverside car crash killed four people when a Lexus veered off the roadway and struck a pillar support on the Western Avenue overpass. The car burned violently and two couples in the car perished. In another car crash, two people died and four were injured in a four-car collision after a pickup truck swerved into oncoming traffic. The California Highway Patrol cited unsafe speeds for many of these car crashes, blaming irresponsible or alcohol-impaired drivers.

"What's sad is that so many lives are needlessly lost and so many are permanently injured in these often senseless car accidents," noted John Bisnar, a car accident attorney. "Traveling any road or highway in excess of the posted speed limit takes away that margin of reaction time one needs to avoid a car collision. Controlling a car is extremely difficult at these high speeds."

Statistics compiled by the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Traffic Reporting System revealed that in 2006, there were 316 car accident deaths in Riverside County and 10,514 traffic accident related injuries. Alcohol related car collisions accounted for 136 fatalities and 1,294 injuries countywide. There were also 18,607 property damage car collisions in Riverside. County roads took their toll on motorcyclists as well, with 29 losing their lives and 487 sustaining serious injuries.

On a positive note, the CHP reported fewer Riverside car accident deaths from 2007 to 2008. Officials pointed to a number of reasons for this decline. For one, people were taking fewer discretionary trips and they simply drove less due to higher gas prices. Figures released by The Automobile Club of Southern California showed that Californians drove 3.7 percent less in June 2008 than in the same month last year. Another reason for the drop in fatalities was that more people wore seat belts. There were also more police patrols and DUI checkpoints, particularly during holidays and weekends. People also traded up to safer cars equipped with airbags and stability controls, which further reduced the number of deaths and injuries.

"Riverside's streets and highways can become safer if people drive more responsibly," observed John Bisnar. "Additionally, car accidents can be reduced by improving accident-prone roads to prevent congestion, increasing the number of warning signs where appropriate, and boosting law enforcement efforts to catch speeders and other reckless drivers."

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.