Los Angeles residents have had to fight traffic for decades. According to a study completed by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University seven of the top 10 most congested roads in the United States are in Los Angeles County. With the Harbor Fwy/CA-110 NB and San Dieho Fwy/I-405 NB roads being jam packed every single day thousands of hours are wasted by commuters. As the smartphone revolution has advanced these commuters are looking for ways to get around the traffic. Car accident lawyers from Oklahoma to Maine have seen accidents in their states because of heavy traffic.
Unfortunately, with over 10 million people in the city of Los Angeles it is extremely difficult for drivers to successfully navigate around the highly congested areas. If one person is thinking of an alternative thousands of people are thinking the same thing. If drivers get off and try to reroute themselves it may end up taking even longer because of traffic lights, stop signs and pedestrians crossing the road. Most experienced Los Angeles drivers have had to accept they are going to sit in traffic for multiple hours during rush hour and the busier times of the day.
Those with a Garmin or GPS device have been somewhat successful coming up with alternative route to work. Having an overhead map of parallel roads will greatly assist those that desire a different way from point A to point B. Something that should not be considered is to text, talk or look at a smartphone while driving. Many severe car accidents occur because drivers are not paying attention to the road. Even if traffic is very slow or at a stand still drivers are still behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.
Unfortunately, car and truck accidents are very common in the county of Los Angeles. At any given time, there are over fifteen accidents reported in a 30 minute time frame. During the morning and evening rush hour it is much more common for a car accident to be reported every single minute. The state of California has published an online resource to help report all the car accidents that happen in Los Angeles. This link is invaluable to those that are looking to avoid that three hour drive to work.
Police officers and law enforcement officials know there are “hot spots” in which accidents are more likely to happen. As with most major cities, there are stretches of road that are more prone to accidents simply because of the layout or the surrounding area. Motorcycle accident lawyers in Los Angeles, San Diego and Fresno are very aware of these dangerous areas as they often study the road conditions in hopes of making the driving situation better for all drivers.
With social media changing the way people communicate it is not uncommon to see several hundred Facebook and Twitter posts related to a major car accident on I-5 or I-10. Tweets will come streaming in shortly after the accident as drivers will stop their vehicle and get out to observe the accident. Most police officers would warn against this as pedestrians will be putting themselves in danger by getting out of their vehicle at the scene of an accident. If gas is leaking or there are other fumes being exposed the chance for an explosion is significantly higher. This type of explosion can cause injuries for several hundred yards around the scene of the accident.
Medical professionals that have had to deal with burn and fire victims from an explosion state that removing oneself from the situation as quickly as possible is the best possible way to reduce injuries. If victims have been burned or injured at the scene of a car accident explosion authorities and medical professionals will get to the scene as quickly as possible. Bystanders should not try to assist unless the are both CPR and First Aid certified. Even if this is the case, they should use their discretion to determine if they can ultimately help the victim. There are times in which an individual looking to help can make the situation worse.
As the state of California tries to dig out of a financial problem it is not likely that roads and highways are going to be fixed quickly. This means the traffic is here to stay; at least for a little while. The best thing drivers can do is remain patient and stay aware at all times. There are great resources available online, including Google Maps, that will clearly show the estimated time of arrival to a destination. Waze is an app for the iPhone or Android phone that is very useful as well. Note that users cannot type on the Waze app while their vehicle is in motion.