Cerritos Car Accidents Down Due to All-Red and Photo Enforced Intersections

With a population of nearly 55,000 people, Cerritos in Los Angeles County, California is a "gateway" city in the heart of the Los Angeles/Orange County metro center and served by three major freeways (91, 605 and 5) . With so powerful traffic passing through the city, Cerritos car accident attorneys will confirm that accidents do occur on a regular basis.

Accident statistics from 2001 to 2003 advise that Cerritos had 16 fatal car collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This works out to 3.1 fatal Cerritos car crashes per 10,000 people, which was below the national average.

Statistics compiled by the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) showed that in 2006, five people lost their lives and 434 people were injured in Cerritos car crashes. Seventeen pedestrians were injured. One bicyclist died and five were injured. Motorcycle accidents killed two injured 18. Additionally, in 2006, DUI crashes resulted in three deaths and 21 injuries. In 2007, five car accidents resulted in five fatalities.

To bring down car collisions, Cerritos pioneered the belief of momentary four-way red lights at intersections over 30 years ago. Many areas halt to Cerritos--including South East Los Angeles, and Northwest Orange County--soon adopted this red-light system of traffic control.

Adding all-red clearance intervals can improve intersection safety by reducing the likelihood of a right-angle car demolish. This is good even if drivers rush the red light (within a portion of a second after the light turns red) . So, while the presence or absence of an all-red interval may not influence a driver's decisions to race a red light, the presence of an all-red light of well-known length can enhance the intersection's safety.

Cerritos also implemented a Red-Light Photo Enforcement program to nick the number of car collision injuries. The city installed red-light cameras at important crash-prone intersections. Camera locations include Artesia and Bloomfield, South Street and Gridley, South Street and Studebaker, and Studebaker and 183 Street.

Many Cerritos car collision lawyers have distinguished that these efforts along with red-light cameras can be effective in reducing car accidents. The momentary four-way red lights acquire a safety cushion of time for all vehicles approaching and waiting at an intersection. Red-light systems, on the other hand, not only glean red-light runners but actually change their behavior, since scofflaws know that the fines can be very high--upwards of $360. Keeping cars from crashing and injuring people is the overall goal.