Interestingly enough, intersections are a very likely place for a Southern California car crash. Although intersections were designed to protect motorists from one another through the use of signal lights, one third of all wrecks in Southern California still occur at intersections.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 692 crashes at intersections in California in 2009. Such high numbers indicate that motorists really need to drive safer when approaching intersections.
How to Avoid Orange County Intersection Accidents:
- Proceed through intersections with great caution.
- Don’t speed or step on the gas when the light turns yellow.
- Don’t assume other vehicles will stop because their signal light is red.
- When stopped at a light, look both ways before accelerating.
- Before turning left or right, look for pedestrians and bicyclists approaching the intersection.
- Yield to bicyclists already in or just approaching the intersection.
- Be cautious when making a left turn, and yield to all drivers who appear close enough to cause a collision.
- Only make a turn when it is safe to do so.
- If you come to a stop sign at an intersection, stop completely and follow the road rules when yielding the right of way.
- When approaching a “T” intersection, yield the right of way to the vehicle on the through road, which generally doesn’t have a stop sign.
- Do not ignore stop signs or red signal lights.
To avoid being injured in an Orange County car crash, it is in your best interest to travel safely and proceed slowly and cautiously through all intersections.
When there is more traffic, there is a higher rate of collisions. Because Orange County and Los Angeles intersections always seem to have a high volume of cars traveling through them, there is an increased risk for crashes to occur.
Some common injuries sustained in intersection accidents include broken bones, head trauma, whiplash, brain injury, spinal cord injury, back and neck injuries, and even death.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Mission Viejo car crash at an intersection, please seek legal advice from a skilled Mission Viejo personal injury lawyer during a completely free legal consultation. Call the Law Offices of John P. Burns today at (877)320-1338.
You can also request a FREE copy of John Burns’ book: 9 Mistakes That Can Ruin Your California Vehicle Accident Case, which will help you after a Mission Viejo car crash.