Reducing Brentwood Car Accident Rates
Reducing Brentwood Car Accident Rates
Hi, I’m Ed Smith, Brentwood car accident attorney. There are a number of ways to cut down on the number of collisions from driver education to better car engineering. Brentwood Police Department recently announced that it is using a $70,000 grant to prevent distracted and drunk driving accidents within the city.
What Will They Do with the Money?
With that much money, the Brentwood Police Department has put together a six-point program that combats the most common causes of traffic accidents in the City of Brentwood. They include:
- Implementation of the annual National Teen Driver Safety Week to focus on strategies to reduce distractions and emphasize the risks involved with distracted driving.
- Increased DUI checkpoints around the city that should catch more drunk drivers.
- DUI saturation patrols that will be less visible.
- Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement.
- Motorcycle safety enforcement – Educating bikers and others about proper lane usage and other regulations regarding two-wheeled vehicles.
- Distracted driving enforcement – Going after texters who drive may not produce expensive tickets but at least a quarter of motorists admit they’ve used their phone in the car in the past week. So any deterrence may reduce that number.
The above efforts will augment existing traffic enforcement programs that operate year round. According to the State Office of Traffic Safety, research demonstrates that education and enforcement work hand in hand to combat unsafe driving throughout our state.
Brentwood and California DUI Crash Statistics
Oddly, there is an increase in the number of California DUI fatalities and authorities are not completely clear why. Still, Brentwood car crash lawyers note that the number increased to some 900 in the state alone in 2014. Without the additional manslaughter charges that can be brought, drivers still face up to 10 years in prison and a four-month license suspension at the very start.
While these impediments are in place, they seem to not be enough. Efforts like the Brentwood PD to institute more DUI checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols near bars and clubs could help provide a more immediate reminder that there are legal consequences for drinking and then getting behind the wheel.
Distracted Driving Statistics
Some of the most common car accidents occur because drivers, more likely older ones than teens, are distracted because of their smart phones or high end stereo systems in their cars. The state office of Traffic Safety notes that 80 percent of all vehicle crashes involve “driver inattention” resulting in hundreds of deaths.
The reasons are obvious. Using a smartphone and drinking are both legal for people of certain ages. Yet, combining them with driving is simply creating a recipe for significant distractions. In the time that it takes to read a text message, a vehicle traveling 55 MPH will go some 400 feet, plenty enough to cause a disastrous Brentwood car wreck.
Brentwood Car Accident Attorney
I’m Ed Smith, a Brentwood car accident attorney. If you or a family member has been injured in a car accident, please give me a call at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for fast, free and friendly advice.
I’ve been assisting Northern California families with their personal injury and wrongful death claims for over thirty years.
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Photo Credit: By Highway Patrol Images via Wikimedia Commons
:JC