Intersection Accident in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. One person was sent to a hospital with moderate injuries in an early morning crash in North Sacramento on April 4, 2018.
What Happened?
The accident involving a Toyota Prius and a small white sedan occurred shortly after 7:00 am at the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Pasadena Avenue. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), one of the vehicles ended up in the center median following the crash. The accident halted traffic in the southbound lanes of Auburn Boulevard while the vehicles were removed from the accident scene. One person suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to the UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.
Intersection Accidents
Intersection accidents are some of the deadliest and most common. Some reasons this happens is due to the complexity of activities that occur at intersections. For instance, not only do vehicles pass through, but they also make right and left turns. More intersection accidents happen in urban areas than rural due to the higher traffic flow. Close to 50 percent of auto accidents that occur nationwide are intersection accidents. Understanding why they happen is the first step in reducing this type of accident.
Reasons Intersection Accidents Happen
As with other types of accidents, intersection accidents are primarily related to driver error. Ninety-six percent of intersection accidents are due to driver error, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This breaks down to:
- Poor surveillance: This occurred 44.1 percent of the time.
- Improper decisions: This occurs in less than 10 percent of accidents. It is usually related to a driver’s incorrect assumption about another driver’s actions or intent.
- Obstructed view: Having a stop sign or other signage hidden from view causes approximately 8 percent of intersection accidents.
- Illegal maneuver: Making an illegal turn or another maneuver that is forbidden at a particular intersection accounts for 7 percent of accidents.
- Distractions: A driver who is distracted causes approximately 6 percent of intersection crashes. These include talking or texting on the phone, talking to someone in the vehicle or focusing on other acts such as eating.
- Misjudging speed: Drivers who misjudge another vehicle’s speed cause 6 percent of accidents.
Intersection Crashes Vs. Highway Crashes
Intersection crash errors happen at a different frequency from driver error on the highway. For example, at an intersection, turning with a view that is obstructed happens over 300 times more often than non-intersection accidents. Poor surveillance and illegal maneuvers are seen with a higher frequency than on a roadway.
Driver Age and Intersection Accidents
Driver age is an important factor in intersection accidents. Older drivers cause more intersection accidents. For 70-year-old drivers, fatal intersection accidents occur 40 percent of the time. This is compared to 23 percent of drivers aged 35 to 54. Reasons older drivers have intersection accidents more often than their younger counterparts are:
- Failure to yield: This is seen in 50 percent of accidents involving older drivers. This occurs 58 percent of the time if the driver is 80 to 85 years old and 37 percent if the driver is 70 to 79 years old.
- Rear-end accidents: While older drivers cause this type of accident 43 percent of the time, younger drivers are more likely to do it at 45 percent.
Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. Intersection and other serious accidents are usually due to negligence. If this has happened to you, call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for friendly and free advice. You can also contact me online.
I am a California member of the Million Dollar Advocates, a group whose members have won cases or negotiated settlements of over $1 million for clients.
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