Garden Highway Residents Want Speeding to Stop
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident and personal injury lawyer. Residents who live along Garden Highway have decided to take things into their own hands in their rural area to try and slow down speeders. Difficult to miss orange signs have been posted by local residents on the road saying “Garden Highway is not I-5. Speed 45 mph.” Some residents have even installed mirrors near the end of their driveways, so they can see well enough to pull out without becoming involved in a collision with the speeding drivers.
Interstate Drivers Are Using an Alternate Route
Residents say drivers who would normally be using Interstate 5 are switching to the Garden Highway, which is narrow, winding and has only two lanes. Because the road is on top of a berm, there are many places where there is no shoulder. However, it does have drop offs that are steep and blind curves. While most drivers aren’t a problem, the ones that speed endanger each other and local residents and cause accidents that can result in serious injuries. According to an officer with the California Highway Patrol, drunk driving is also a problem in the area.
Phone App May Be Increasing Traffic in the Area
Another man, who is president of the local community association, thinks that Waze, a popular phone app, might be partially accountable for the increase in traffic and speeders. This app shows the fastest routes and might be responsible for directing drivers off the interstate and onto Garden Highway when traffic is congested.
Speeding Accidents in Sacramento
The California Office of Traffic Safety reported 1,179 fatalities and injuries attributed to speeding during 2015 out of a total of 4,502 accidents that resulted deaths and trauma. The city placed second out of similarly-sized cities in California for the number of speeders involved in crashes of this type. The county placed first in the number of traffic fatalities and injuries with 2,923 accidents involving speeders out of the total of 11,710 collisions reported that resulted in trauma or deaths.
Speeding and Aggressive Driving
Among the types of car accidents that occur, speeding is a major cause. Speeding is considered a form of aggressive driving and contributes to over 27 percent of accident fatalities every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some reasons that drivers go above the speed limit are as follows:
- Some drivers leave home or another location too late to reach their destination in a timely manner. This may include heading to work, school, an appointment, meeting or other scheduled event.
- Traffic congestion increases the risk of a driver speeding. It may also increase the risk of other aggressive behaviors such as tailgating, switching lanes in a dangerous way or other actions that endanger others.
- When behind the wheel of a vehicle, some drivers feel that they are anonymous. This can contribute to risk-taking, since they do not feel a responsibility to drive safely to avoid imperiling others.
- Disregard for others on the road may take the form of disobeying traffic laws. While some drivers may exhibit this type of behavior normally, others drive this way only on occasion. The third type of driver stays within the speed limits and obeys traffic laws like a good citizen.
Related Article by Sacramento Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer Ed Smith:
Sacramento Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident and personal injury lawyer. Speeders cause many injuries and deaths each year, and speeding that causes an accident is negligence. If you or your loved one was injured in a crash with a speeder, I can help you with friendly, compassionate and free advice when you phone me at (916) 921-6400. The toll-free number is (800) 404-5400.
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