Seal Beach Car Accident Fatalities Linked to Holiday DUI Revelers

One after another, Seal Beach car accident lawyers will admit that car collisions are a regular occurrence in this community of nearly 26,000 people. A gateway, coastal city that has retained its quaint, small-town atmosphere, Seal Beach in Orange County, California, has been challenged with higher than average traffic fatalities often caused by party-going revelers who insist on drinking and driving.

Seal Beach Car Accident Statistics Rise Above National Norm

A review of car accidents from 2001 and 2003 revealed 17 fatalities in Seal Beach, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Based on the city's population, that works out to 7 fatal car crashes per 10,000 people. Seal Beach car crash lawyers will tell you this is considerably higher than the national norm.

In 2006, the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) pointed out that four people died and 183 were injured in Seal Beach car crashes. One pedestrian was killed and three were injured in car accidents. Nine bicyclists were injured. Motorcycle collisions killed one and injured 22. Impaired drivers caused two deaths and 16 injuries.

Seal Beach Car Crash Kills Bicyclist

In 2008, A Garden Grove man was charged with killing a female bicyclist while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. According to Orange County prosecutors, the man took prescription drugs with a blood-alcohol level of 0.13%, and then swerved his pickup truck off a Seal Beach road, striking the bicyclist. Seal Beach car collision lawyers intimate that the city has decided to aggressively go after drunk drivers.

Seal Beach Car Collisions Blamed on Impaired Drivers

To save lives and prevent injuries, Seal Beach often sets up Sobriety and Driver's License Checkpoints at troublesome streets and intersections--like Pacific Coast Highway and First Street. Seal Beach's efforts often dovetail with Orange County's "Avoid the 28" DUI Campaign, which consists of Roving DUI Saturation Patrols over holiday weekends. California's AVOID programs were intended to raise the awareness of the multiple problems caused by drunk driving, especially during major holidays. Seal Beach Police remind motorists that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. Virtually every Seal Beach car collision attorney will advise you to designate a sober driver before you begin to party with alcohol.

Seal Beach Scooter Patrol Prevents Car Crashes

For those who forget to assign a designated driver, there's the Scooter Patrol. This organization offers free transportation to bar patrons on major "drinking" holidays, including Super Bowl Sunday. Scooter Patrol riders will make their rounds on the weekends to let patrons know they can get a free ride home if they need it. Scooter patrol drivers take revelers home in their own car, return the keys, and come back on their scooter.

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.