As 2015 drew to a close, our Sacramento personal injury attorney was hopeful that a year of almost daily Sacramento car crash injuries was over. Like people throughout Greater SacramSacramento ento, our personal injury attorney is very concerned about traffic safety as new risks contribute to car crash injuries. Sacramento 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 Sacramento personal injury attorney saw 2016 begin with the same grim statistics that closed out 2015. In the first week of the new year Sacramento car accident injuries and deaths included fatalities on Greenback Lane, Rio Linda Boulevard and White Rock Road. Many other Sacramento car crash injuries during the same period were also recorded. In addition, our Sacramento 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 Sacramento car accidents and injuries

These and other Sacramento car crash injuries and deaths indicate to our Sacramento 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 Sacramento car crash injury. First, our personal injury attorney feels that driving under the influence needs more attention from state and local officials. Sacramento 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 Sacramento personal injury attorney. Like anyone traveling local freeways, our personal injury law attorney took note of Caltrans electronic signs referring to “Buzzed Driving.” Sacramento 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 Sacramento . Car accident injuries are almost certain to rise if legalization of marijuana makes its way through the legislative process, according to our Sacramento personal injury attorney.

According to a newspaper report about the effects of pot legalization in Colorado, our Sacramento car crash injury lawyer say the state reported a 32 percent increase in car accident injuries and fatalities after legalization. Our Sacramento personal injury attorney knows that, unlike alcohol related DUIs, marijuana intoxication is often harder to prove. For example, after a Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento car crash injury or death. Our personal injury attorney believes that legalization of pot in California will likely lead to a significant rise in Sacramento car crash injury and death. Since DUI car accident injuries are already way too high, this public safety threat greatly concerns Sacramento personal injury attorney at Sette Law Office. Also adding to concerns about Sacramento car accident injuries and deaths is an increase in arrests for driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Our Sacramento personal injury attorney knows that law enforcement faces great challenges in dealing with threats of DUIs that contribute to Sacramento car crash injuries and fatalities.

Distracted driving threatens safety in Sacramento

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 Sacramento accident, both injury and death resulted when a father was killed and young son injured by a driver allegedly checking text messages. Our Sacramento personal injury attorney is aware that distracted driving is very difficult to prove and traffic officials cannot accurately report how many Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento car crash injury or death.

A call for driver awareness in Sacramento

Personal injury attorneys also noted an escalation of Sacramento car accident injury and deaths involving pedestrians and bicyclists. With increased emphasis on alternatives to driving, motorists need heightened vigilance to prevent Sacramento car accidents causing injury. Walkers, runners and bicyclists are too often the victims of Sacramento car crash injury and death. An aggressive public education campaign targeted at both drivers as well as pedestrians may help, according to our Sacramento personal injury attorney. Although city and county officials have attempted to tackle this issue, Sacramento 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 Sacramento car accident injuries. Walkers and bicyclists consistently suffer the most severe car accident injuries and, frequently, die.

Our Sacramento personal injury attorney believes that car accident injuries and deaths in the three areas we’ve mentioned are preventable Sacramento 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 Sacramento . Personal injury attorney at Sette Law Office hope to joining neighbors in building a safer community for 2016.