San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Dangerous roads in San Diego County can cause injury to motorists, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians, and can create liability against the State of California, Department Of Transportation (known as CalTrans). Of course, liability may be apportioned (allocated) between the first class of persons noted above, the State, and potentially other defendants who may have played some role in creating or maintaining a dangerous condition.

A motor vehicle operator driving an automobile (passenger vehicle, big rig truck, van, or bus), must make sure that they constantly stay alert, and maintain continual awareness of the numerous harmful factors that can cause an automobile crash to occur at any moment. Many people may not be aware of the fact that numerous accidents and injuries occur because of defectively designed or improperly maintained roadways. Expert San Diego attorneys understand dangerous roads.
The condition of the roadways that are continuously traveled on, highways, intersections, and even safety equipment on roadways can pose a serious threat to many vehicle drivers. Not only do a number of accidents occur in cities such as Kearny Mesa, Clairemont Mesa, Santee, El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove, there are a number of auto accidents caused by poorly maintained roads. Additional causes of road defects accidents include problems occuring with medians, barriers, signs, shoulders, lights, exit ramps, lane markers, and intersections.

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According to the National Law Journal and the Financial Times, plaintiffs could seek $7.35 billion in Toyota diminished-value litigation in the upcoming months.

The National Law Journal (5/13, Bronstad) reports: "Plaintiffs' counsel could seek as much as $7.35 billion from Toyota Motor Co. to compensate consumers for the diminished value of their vehicles in light of problems with sudden unintended acceleration, one of those lawyers said on Wednesday."

Speaking at a full-day conference in California which was organized by scores of the plaintiffs' firms in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Toyota, attorney W. Daniel Miles III with a firm in Montgomery, Alabama said: "I think we're blazing a new trail."

Toyota plaintiffs "will enjoy some distinct advantages over other tort actions arising from consumer contracts," said Miles, noting that "several consumer ratings agencies have issued hard estimates that Toyota vehicles have declined in value by between 2.6% and 3.77%."

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Did you know that May is Motorcycle Safety Month in California? Now that warmer weather is upon us, we will undoubtedly see higher numbers of motorcycles on our roadways. Therefore, a review of motorcyle safety tips is a good idea for all of us.

California Assembly Resolution ACR 43 lists the following facts and safety tips pertaining to safe motorcycle riding:

Motorcycle riding is a popular form of efficient transportation and recreation for more than 1,000,000 people in California;

Motorcycles provide a means of transportation that uses fewer resources, cause less wear and tear on public roadways, and increases available parking areas;

It is important that drivers of all vehicles be aware of one another and learn to share the road and practice courtesy;

It is especially important that the citizens of California be aware of motorcycles on the streets and highways and recognize the importance of motorcycle safety;

The safety hazards created by automobile operators who have not been educated to watch for motorcyclists on the streets and highways of California are of prime concern to motorcyclists;

The American Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) of California is an organization that is actively promoting the safe operation, increased rider training, and increased motorist awareness of motorcycles; and

It is important to recognize the need for awareness on the part of all drivers, especially with regard to sharing the road with motorcycles, and to honor motorcyclists' many contributions to the communities in which they live and ride.

More information pertaining to safe motorcycling can be found on the California Department Of Motor Vehicles' web site.

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Losing a loved one in a traffic fatality can be horrific. Fortunately, traffic fatalities have steadily declined since 2005. This is great news, and the credit is due to several factors, including:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a 2009 study projecting the number of traffic fatalities which occurred last year. The NHTSA statistics project that an estimated 33,963 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2009, which represents an 8.9 percent decline when compared to the 37,261 fatalities which occurred in 2008.
Nonetheless, there are still numerous people in California dying in automobile, motorcycle, and truck accidents. Drivers need to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on their steering wheels in order to keep us all safe. Each time we venture out on the roads and highways in California, we risk negative consequences from the harmful and negligent actions of other drivers. We can only hope that all drivers will obey the traffic laws, adhere to traffic signs and signals, and pay attention to what they're doing.

For more information pertaining to the study, visit the NHTSA web site.

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