Los Angeles California Personal Injury Law Blog

As the debate in California and across the nation about cell phone use in vehicles continues, it is a good idea to take a fresh look at the concept of distracted driving. Cell phones certainly forced the surge of conversation about distracted driving, but they are far from the only culprits.

The California Office of Traffic Safety explains that the newest distracted driving law in California still centers around cell phones but does also include some other consumer electronic devices. People are allowed to tap once or make a single swiping motion on their screens while driving but nothing more during a given interaction with the device. Every other interaction must be completely hands-free.

There are many things that go into helping drivers in California operate their vehicles safely. From defensive driving tactics to obeying the laws of the road and more, every driver in vehicles small and large has an obligation to themselves, their passengers and people in other vehicles to drive responsibly. This includes avoiding driving when overly tired. Fatigue is a known problem for truckers but can affect any driver.

One thing that people can do to help themselves stay alert when behind the wheel is to drink enough water. According to WebMD, dehydration is one of the problems that may lead to sleepiness. Therefore, ensuring a person is properly hydrated is one thing that can be done to proactively prevent excessive fatigue when driving.

California may have a lovely moderate climate from a temperature perspective but that does not take away the reality that the days get shorter as autumn approaches. The additional hours of dusk and dark time can be challenging for people who still want to enjoy being outside and active. As Labor Day approaches, now is a good time to get a refresher on some of the things pedestrians and even bicyclists can do to stay safe.

The AAA Exchange highlights the importance of being seen by motorists and adds that this is equally important during the daytime as it is in the evening, night or early morning hours when light is limited. During the dim or dark hours, people should avoid wearing all black or other dark clothing and instead opt for brighter colors and even patterned clothing.

California has long been heralded as the land of the car and scenes of vehicles driving along the Pacific Coast Highway have graced many a vehicle advertisement over the years. The state is also home to many technology companies working hard to get autonomous cars onto the roads in part to improve safety. Even many vehicles that are human-driven are starting to offer more automation and features to help prevent accidents. Statistics, however, show that the effort to eliminate accident deaths has a long way to go.

Records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that in 2016, the state of California recorded 3,623 vehicular fatalities, a significant increase over the 3,387 from the previous year. In Los Angeles County along, 794 people were killed in automotive crashes that year and just as with the statewide data, this represented a jump from 2015 when 651 people died.