San Diego Personal Injury Attorney Blog

California Teen Cyclist Injured in Bus Accident

A California teen was recently critically injured in a tragic bus accident. A nearby construction worker who witnessed the accident says that he saw the young girl and her mother riding along the road. The incident happened early in the morning. The dial-a-ride bus was nearly empty as it came around the corner and hit the girl. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. This particular area of Riverside is known for being especially dangerous. There are no sidewalks or bike lanes, and drivers say that it can be difficult to see pedestrians or cyclists along the sides of the road. Local authorities are looking at surveillance footage from the bus in order to determine the cause of the accident. It is possible that the driver made a mistake, or that this part of the city needs re-planning in order to create a safer environment for cyclists and…
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Why Bike-Shares May be Safer than Riding Your Own

A recent study by California’s Mineta Transportation Institute suggests that bike-shares are safer than riding your own bicycle. The study considered multiple bike-share programs in different cities and compared them against the national numbers for bicycle accidents in the country. It turns out that bike-shares are much, much safer. On average, cyclists in the U.S. have 1,461 injuries for every 100 million trips. Of these injuries, 21 are fatal. Compare this to bike-share programs, which have only 39 injuries per 100 million rides. The numbers are even more impressive for the number of fatal accidents. Bike-share programs existed for years before they had their first and only fatality in the summer of 2016. Why are Bike-Share Bikes Safer? First of all, not all of the differences in the numbers come from greater safety. Part of the difference between bike-share numbers and national numbers is that many bicycle accidents involve children,…
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Will California’s Smartphone Law Reduce Distracted Driving Accidents?

California has passed new legislation aimed at reducing the number of distracted driving accidents in the state. The law would require all drivers to keep their smartphones mounted while driving, and would limit all drivers’ interactions with their phones to a single swipe or touch. California law already forbids texting or calling while driving, but this law would take a much more extreme approach to the issue. According to the Office of Traffic Safety, California ticketed 329,572 drivers for texting or making calls while driving in 2013. This new law would increase that already-sizable number. The size of the fine, however, is relatively small. First offenders would pay a $20 ticket, while repeat offenders would pay $50. Only time will truly tell if these fines will serve as an effective deterrent. Distracted driving accidents: an epidemic In an age of constant multitasking, it appears our culture in struggling with the…
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