Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers Say City is California's Most Crash Prone

As California's capital and the seat of local government, Sacramento would seem like an organized and well-run place to live and work. However, many Sacramento personal injury lawyers will tell you that if you drive in Sacramento, you'd best buckle up and stay on guard.

Recent studies show that Sacramento is the most crash-prone city in the state, with its figures even topping Los Angeles and San Francisco, which have significantly larger populations.

Data showed that more than 4,000 people suffered serious personal injuries in Sacramento car accidents in 2007 while 49 others were killed.

Large Roads, Small Population Encourage Reckless Driving

Some Sacramento car accident attorneys say the city's relatively small population might actually be factoring into its susceptibility to car, bike, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents. For example, research has shown that drivers in highly congested cities tend to drive more carefully, knowing that they must always be aware of their surroundings. Drivers in cities with smaller populations, such as Sacramento for example (which has a little less than 500,000 people) may be too relaxed for comfort. For example, one person reported once seeing a driver brushing his teeth while behind the wheel.

Safety officials also say that Sacramento's street designs, traffic patterns and traffic enforcement may also play a significant role in car accident rates.

One expert noted that many of the streets where most of Sacramento's car accidents have taken place have a lot in common. For one, most are oversized with four to six lanes which tempt drivers into pushing the pedal to the metal, especially as there are long stretches between signal lights. A Sacramento anti-drunken-driving organization has also blamed the city's wide roads with giving intoxicated drivers more room to make deadly mistakes.

The street system meantime in Sacramento is also not as tight as in other cities. Instead of street grids like those found in San Francisco, Sacramento planners favored a system that sees high-volume corridors leading drivers onto large intersections, which experts say are the most dangerous sites in urban areas.

In a bid to lessen car accidents, city engineers said they are building streets with fewer lanes and more pedestrian space and bicycle lanes. Other safety measures include tweaking some signal lights so that all vehicles in all four directions of an intersection have a red light at the same time for a few seconds before one direction gets the go signal.

Waterway Accidents Concern Sacramento Personal Injury Attorneys

Aside from dangerous roads, many accident injuries can also occur on Sacramento's open waterways. While the waterways are a popular attraction especially during the holiday season, Sacramento personal injury law firms say they deal with a number of boating injuries each year.

Studies show that 14 people including three children under the age of 13 drowned in Sacramento waterways in 2008.

In July 2009, a father and son boating on the Sacramento River as part of a Boy Scout Group nearly died when their canoe overturned after becoming trapped against a sunken tree. Another boater meantime was also thrown into the water after he tried to rescue them. Thankfully, a patrol boat was able to rescue the three of them.

While patrol boats do their best to ensure the safety of people on Sacramento's waterways, they warn that budget cuts are severely hampering their resources. For example, in August 2009, an abandoned boat sunk and floated downstream in Snodgrass Slough. Authorities took two days to respond due to manpower problems.

Despite the lack of manpower, Sacramento officials said they are making progress in waterway safety. They said that so far in 2009, no children under the age of 13 have drowned. They attribute this to heightened awareness and use of lifejackets as a result of an education campaign by the city.

For Road or Water Accidents, Contact a Sacramento Personal Injury Law Firm

If you have been involved in a Sacramento accident of any kind, please consult a Sacramento personal injury law firm.

Your accident attorney will explain the legal issues of your personal injury case and fight for any damages to which you may be entitled. They will also ensure that any guilty parties involved in the accident will be held accountable. While there are many personal injury and accident lawyers claiming to have your best interests at heart, it is helpful to keep in mind that the best law firms will always offer a free consultation on your case.

Law firms with strong records of successfully handling personal injury lawsuits meantime may also offer a no-fee guarantee meaning that you don't pay anything unless they win your case.

If you are the victim of a personal injury, you owe it to yourself to get a FREE copy of the book, "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Can Wreck Your California Personal Injury Claim" ($14.99 value). If you need help immediately, call one of our expert personal injury lawyers now at 1-800-561-4887 and we will schedule a consultation the same day or by the next business day at the latest.

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