As 2015 drew to a close, our Elk Grove personal injury attorney was hopeful that a year of almost daily Elk Grove car crash injuries was over. Like people throughout Greater SacramElk Grove ento, our personal injury attorney is very concerned about traffic safety as new risks contribute to car crash injuries. Elk Grove car accident injuries and deaths are increasingly due to threats from distracted drivers (cell phone use) and “buzzed” driving, among other hazards on the road.

Unfortunately, our Elk Grove personal injury attorney saw 2016 begin with the same grim statistics that closed out 2015. In the first week of the new year Elk Grove car accident injuries and deaths included fatalities on Greenback Lane, Rio Linda Boulevard and White Rock Road. Many other Elk Grove car crash injuries during the same period were also recorded. In addition, our Elk Grove personal injury attorney paid attention to the hazards on I-5 as Caltrans did emergency repairs after trucking accidents with injuries brought attention to problems with a slick road surface.

Preventable Elk Grove car accidents and injuries

These and other Elk Grove car crash injuries and deaths indicate to our Elk Grove personal injury attorney that our region needs the greater vigilance of drivers and law enforcement. Basically, accident attorney at our personal injury firm feels that three areas of safety urgently need to be addressed to prevent Elk Grove car crash injury. First, our personal injury attorney feels that driving under the influence needs more attention from state and local officials. Elk Grove car accident injuries and deaths due to intoxicated drivers are all too frequent and show no sign of diminishing. Complicating the DUI problem is a rise in marijuana use, according to our Elk Grove personal injury attorney. Like anyone traveling local freeways, our personal injury law attorney took note of Caltrans electronic signs referring to “Buzzed Driving.” Elk Grove car crash injury and death due to drivers under the influence of marijuana is not frequently reported in the press. But our personal injury attorney is aware there is a significant focus on “buzzed driving” throughout the state and in Elk Grove . Car accident injuries are almost certain to rise if legalization of marijuana makes its way through the legislative process, according to our Elk Grove personal injury attorney.

According to a newspaper report about the effects of pot legalization in Colorado, our Elk Grove car crash injury lawyer say the state reported a 32 percent increase in car accident injuries and fatalities after legalization. Our Elk Grove personal injury attorney knows that, unlike alcohol related DUIs, marijuana intoxication is often harder to prove. For example, after a Elk Grove car accident with injuries, a driver may pass a usual sobriety test and still test positive for marijuana use. This is because marijuana metabolites can remain in the body for weeks after use. Our Elk Grove personal injury lawyer says this complicates the job of law enforcement after a car accident injury. Under this condition, our personal injury attorney says it’s difficult to determine if pot contributed to the Elk Grove car crash injury or death. Our personal injury attorney believes that legalization of pot in California will likely lead to a significant rise in Elk Grove car crash injury and death. Since DUI car accident injuries are already way too high, this public safety threat greatly concerns Elk Grove personal injury attorney at Sette Law Office. Also adding to concerns about Elk Grove car accident injuries and deaths is an increase in arrests for driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Our Elk Grove personal injury attorney knows that law enforcement faces great challenges in dealing with threats of DUIs that contribute to Elk Grove car crash injuries and fatalities.

Distracted driving threatens safety in Elk Grove

Car accident injuries and deaths in 2015 were related to distracted driving as motorists used electronic devices in violation of state law.  In one high profile Elk Grove accident, both injury and death resulted when a father was killed and young son injured by a driver allegedly checking text messages. Our Elk Grove personal injury attorney is aware that distracted driving is very difficult to prove and traffic officials cannot accurately report how many Elk Grove car accident injuries and deaths are related to distracted driving. Although use of such hand-held devices is illegal, personal injury attorneys know that drivers seldom admit to violation of the law after a Elk Grove car crash. Personal injury and death throughout the state will continue to rise if law and personal practice regarding the use of electronics while driving does not change. This year, our Elk Grove personal injury attorney reports, another new law is aimed at distracted driving. SB 491 prohibits drivers from wearing headsets or earbuds. On top of the distraction of looking at devices, the inability to hear traffic can also cause a Elk Grove car crash injury or death.

A call for driver awareness in Elk Grove

Personal injury attorneys also noted an escalation of Elk Grove car accident injury and deaths involving pedestrians and bicyclists. With increased emphasis on alternatives to driving, motorists need heightened vigilance to prevent Elk Grove car accidents causing injury. Walkers, runners and bicyclists are too often the victims of Elk Grove car crash injury and death. An aggressive public education campaign targeted at both drivers as well as pedestrians may help, according to our Elk Grove personal injury attorney. Although city and county officials have attempted to tackle this issue, Elk Grove car accident injuries and deaths continue to rise as more people walk and bike our streets. Public awareness about the presence of pedestrians and bicyclists is urgently needed to reverse the trend of Elk Grove car accident injuries. Walkers and bicyclists consistently suffer the most severe car accident injuries and, frequently, die.

Our Elk Grove personal injury attorney believes that car accident injuries and deaths in the three areas we’ve mentioned are preventable Elk Grove car accidents. Injuries and deaths can be avoided if motorists adhere to traffic laws and develop greater awareness of their environment while on the roadways of Elk Grove . Personal injury attorney at Sette Law Office hope to joining neighbors in building a safer community for 2016.