Great news for California drivers this month, as the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit, rated our state among the very best when it comes to implementing laws to promote traffic safety and protect drivers, riders, and pedestrians on the road. California shares the honor of best traffic safety laws with five other states that scored exceptionally well: Oregon, Washington, Louisiana, Delaware, and Rhode Island.
The ratings are based upon a report, released every year by the non-profit, that examines how states have implemented the 16 road safety-related laws that the group considers most important in preventing injuries and deaths as a result of driving. These include laws relating to teen driving, drunk driving, and car seat use. California scored very well, for example, in the area of car seat and booster seat use for our youngest kids. We have room for improvement, despite our overall high score, in the area of drunk driving laws.
The report is called the 15th Annual Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws. This year, the preamble to the report mentions the promise of autonomous vehicles, or driverless cars, to potentially revolutionize the way we see traffic safety. Driverless cars have the potential to drastically reduce rates of drunk driving and of crashes caused by distracted drivers. However, the reality of driverless cars is likely years, if not decades, away. By maintaining a focus right now on constant improvement to our road safety laws, we don’t have to wait decades to improve our injury and death statistics.
As Los Angeles-based accident attorneys, our office sees first-hand the devastating consequences that result from drivers’ inability to follow the rules of the road, particularly when it comes to drunk driving and distracted driving. Approximately one in four crash deaths these days involve a drunk driver, and California is one of the many states that has not implemented ignition interlock devices for DUI offenders. While we can be proud that California is still leading the way when it comes to road safety laws, it’s important to remember that we have room for improvement. If you or a family member have been injured in a road-related accident or incident, please call the Los Angeles accident attorneys at Steinberg Injury Lawyers at 1-800-350-8888 to find out how we can help.
