According to recent information published by Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, a California and Orange County crash report, 90% of the intersections with the most accidents are in southern California. Speeding, recklessness, driver fatigue and poor visibility at night in some places are factors that have turned several busy intersections in Orange County into the most dangerous ones in the city.
If you are injured in an accident, contact Avrek Law’s personal injury lawyers to discuss the accident and get the best outcome in your accident claim.
Top 5 Most Dangerous Intersections
1. 17th Street at Fairview
2. Chapman Ave at Gilbert Street
3. Bristol Street at McFadden Ave
4. Bristol Street at Campus Drive
5. El Toro at Montcliff Drive
According to data from police reports with five serious accidents, the intersection of 17th and Fairview Streets is a very dangerous intersection in Orange County. One person died and five others were injured (four of them severely) in five major accidents at or near the intersection.
The person who died was a cyclist. Another cyclist and two pedestrians were among the wounded. Two of the accidents were caused by jaywalking, another two were caused by running red lights and one was caused by unsafe backup.
Like 17th and Fairview streets, the intersection of Chapman and Gilbert is heavily used by drivers, as well as pedestrians and cyclists making their way between bus stops, shopping malls and homes. One person died and five others were injured in the four major accidents at or near the intersection.
The intersection of Bristol Street and McFadden Avenue is a beehive of activity after classes are dismissed at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. Students, parents and shoppers crowd at bus stops at the corners and the Streaming through pedestrian crossings, often against a red Do Not Walk sign.
In one of four major crashes reported at or near the intersection, a vehicle hit and killed a pedestrian who entered the pedestrian crossing while there was an intermittent Do Not Walk signal. Ten more people were injured, three of them severely, in the other three major accidents.
Failing at turning on the red lights was the main cause in half of the four major accidents reported at intersections where Campus Drive and Irvine Avenue meet with Bristol on Highway 73 in Newport Beach. Accidents left one person dead and five others injured, three of them seriously. Newport Beach Police said speed was probably also part of the reason for serious accidents at the intersection.
The intersection of Jeffrey Road and Irvine Center Drive is usually a busy place, with heavy traffic of vehicles and pedestrians from a nearby freeway, shopping mall and junior college. Each of the four major accidents at or near the intersection were attributed to a different cause, including speeding, distracted driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Six people, two of them cyclists, were seriously injured in the accidents. No one died.
Pedestrian Safety at Intersections in Orange County
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable and fragile members of the transit community because they have no body protection. In a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle, even the lightest one, it is the pedestrian who, most likely, will take the worst part. So, what happens if you are hit by a car while crossing the street?
The greatest damage will always be to the body of the pedestrian, who can hit the vehicle hard and be crushed by the wheels or be thrown away from the vehicle to fall and hit his body against the asphalt. So what can you do to avoid this fate?
- Only cross at the indicated pedestrian crossings. Look for the painted lines on the roadway that indicate a safe intersection where pedestrians can cross the street.
- Activate any available pedestrian signal. Near a pedestrian crossing, look for a button that causes pedestrian traffic lights to be changed when pressed. When they are available, it is necessary to use these buttons to cross safely.
- Cross when the crossing signal appears. Cross the street only when the pedestrian signal appears, the symbol of a person walking or any symbol used in your area to indicate “crossing.” Look to both sides of the street to verify that it is safe to cross.
Whether you are crossing the most dangerous streets in Los Angeles or Orange County, it’s important to know not only how to avoid an accident, but also what your rights are if you have been injured.
Tips For Cyclists to Avoid Intersection and Other Accidents
As far as cyclists are concerned, they are in many cases the very cause of their accidents, but in turn they are the most harmed by them, they are absolutely vulnerable since they do not have any security element that protects them. Here you have a few advices to help you ride your bike safely around intersections and roads in order to avoid bicycle accidents.
- Never pass a car on the right.
- Do not ride your bike on the sidewalk. When you leave the sidewalk to cross the street you are invisible to the drivers.
- It is mandatory to wear reflective elements at night, and lights, but it is not a bad idea to wear them during the day as well.
- Be visible, use reflective elements in your clothing and always carry lights at night.
What Can Automobile Drivers Do To Prevent Accidents at Intersections?
In general, the rules and regulations for proper street movement are found in each county’s traffic laws or codes, and their purpose is to improve road safety and behavior.
In general terms and in an almost global way, the driving rules are the same. Read our article on what to do after a car accident.
Here are some additional tips for moving correctly through intersections in order to avoid car accidents.
- To pass a car that’s going slowly, you must take the left lane. If the street is double-lane, it should never be done near pedestrian crossings, intersections, or a prohibited sign.
- Do not block steps at intersections even if the light is green. You should wait behind the pedestrian crossing until the street is cleared and there is enough space to not block the traffic.
- Pedestrians always have the route regardless of the crossing, as long as they use the pedestrian crossings properly.
Orange County Making Intersections Safer
One of the most important measures against traffic accidents in Orange County was the extension of Highway 91. It was a $6.7M lane addition that opened in Orange County in 2004. The westbound lane, which is a half mile long from the Riverside-Orange County line to the Foothill Eastern Quota, eliminated one of the worst bottlenecks on the freeway.
Proposition 1B Prop. 1B, also passed by California voters in 2006, provides bond funds for road capital and maintenance projects. The County’s approximate $61.6 million allocation of Prop. 1B funds will be applied toward transportation improvements within Orange County as determined by the County’s Board of Supervisors.
Hire a Orange County Personal Injury Lawyer
You may be asking yourself, “Can I sue a hit and run driver?” or “What are the latest Orange County crsh report statistics as they relate to my accident and injuries?” Avrek Law Firm believes that every client matters and you deserve the answer to these questions, as well as any others you may have. If you’ve suffered an Irvine, Newport Beach or Garden Grove accident, or an accident in any part of Orange County, you need a lawyer who can guarantee you’ll receive the right compensation for it.
With more than 50 years of combined experience resolving cases in favor of clients who were wrongfully injured, we can answer all of your questions, Avrek Law has recovered more than $1 billion in compensation for injury victims in more than 45,000 cases. Contact us for your free consultation to learn more!