San Diego Car Accident Analysis System

Take a big city like San Diego--with its overcrowded streets and heavy tourist trade unfamiliar with the city--and car accidents become a fact of life. What's more, San Diego's housing density continues to go up, which means more cars and car accidents. As recently as 2006, 94 people were killed and 6,635 injured in San Diego car accidents. Alcohol related car collisions accounted for 37 fatalities and 924 injuries.

"Alcohol is a major factor in many San Diego car accidents," observed car accident attorney John Bisnar. "Downtown San Diego has seen a sizeable jump in the number of bars and nightclubs that serve alcohol and offer 'Happy Hour' specials."

A growing number of people blame the heavy use of cell phones, PDAs and other electronic devices that drivers can't seem to put down while on the road. Hoping to stem the tide of car accidents, California's recent new laws prohibit the use of non-hands-free cell phones while driving. Going a step further, San Diego is determined to reduce the number and severity of car accidents. They now have a powerful new tool that promises to help cut down on car collisions. An accident analysis system called the Traffic Collision Reporting System.

The new system, developed under a grant from the California State Office of Transportation Safety, was especially designed to help analyze car accidents by location, accident type, and a host of other contributing factors. The smart new system stores and retrieves accident records, showing accidents and injury severity. It highlights "high collision" intersections and can quickly create intersection collision diagrams. This vital information helps city planners and traffic control analysts pinpoint any areas that require traffic safety improvements.

Unlike earlier computer-based systems, the new system provides a wealth of car collision data. Things like location parameters, description of the cars involved, any car defects, objects hit, and driver/pedestrian data (although no personal identification data will be collected). Also collected are car actions and speeds, road and weather conditions, number injured or killed, type of collision, collision cause and traffic controls present.

Additional data provided are details like car accidents that occur on a series of street segments (multiple blocks), as well as a list of high collision intersections (using a ratio of accidents to traffic volume) and segment calculations (which determine the ratio of accidents to volume and distance). Citywide car collision rates on classified streets (business, arteries, collectors, etc.) can also be calculated.

"Every major city in California should have a system like this," noted John Bisnar. "Data this comprehensive can be effectively used to reduce the number of auto accidents in dense city areas. This is indeed a powerful tool when one considers the increased levels of traffic and congestion on today's streets and highways."

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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.