Modesto Injury Lawyer Blog

Police will be out in full force this Memorial Day holiday weekend in an attempt to decrease risks of a car accident in Modesto. The Modesto Police Department Traffic Unit will be out on our roadways to conduct DUI and Driver's License checkpoints at a number of undisclosed locations. There will also be a special DUI Roving Saturation patrol during the upcoming holiday weekend, according to The City Of Modesto.

Our Modesto injury attorneys urge all motorists to practice caution on our roadways over this Memorial Day weekend. The city of Modesto has seen nearly 400 drunk driving accidents that have resulted in 6 fatalities and nearly 400 injuries over the course of the last 3 years. This holiday weekend brings an increased risk of serious and fatal accidents.

Overall traffic fatalities declined by more than 20 percent throughout the entire state of California during the past few years. The state saw a decrease from 3,995 fatalities in 2007 to 3,081 fatalities in 2009. Alcohol impaired traffic deaths made up the largest category of vehicle fatalities in 2009. More than 30 percent of all traffic fatalities were caused by a drunk driver.

These Memorial Day enforcement efforts are made possible through grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Officers would like to remind you that a DUI arrest can cost up to $10,000, time in jail, skyrocketing insurance and the loss of your driver's license.

The National Safety Council reports that the rest of the United States will be upping its enforcement this weekend to help prevent deadly vehicle accidents as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be running their "Click It or Ticket" campaign through the entire weekend.

This campaign will also run through the first week of June. The "Click It or Ticket" campaign has been proven to be the most successful seat belt enforcement campaign ever. Statistics show that the campaign has contributed to the highest national seat belt usage rate - nearly 90 percent. Law enforcement agencies will be enforcing their zero-tolerance enforcement practices of all seat belt laws across the country throughout the campaign.

The NSC estimates that more than 300 people may survive the Memorial Day holiday weekend because they will have been wearing their seat belts. They also estimate that another 103 lives could be saved if everyone wore their seat belts.

A complete list of Memorial Day events in Modesto can be found on the Modesto Bee website.

Continue reading "Modesto Police Department Join Fight to Decrease Risk of Modesto Car Accidents" »

Modesto bicycle accidents can cause severe and sometimes fatal injuries, especially to children who ride bikes for pleasure.
Motorists should always watch for bicyclists because they are sometimes difficult to see and may appear out of nowhere.

Personal injury lawyers in Stockton and elsewhere in the state know that bicyclists have the same rights to the roadways as motorists but also are held to the same rules as other vehicles. Children may not always know the rules of the road which puts them at higher risk than other cyclists.

The Modesto Bee recently reported about a 12 year-old girl who may not have known she needed to stop for a red light at an intersection before crossing. The young girl remains in critical condition at a Bay Area hospital after being struck by a pickup truck while crossing over Briggsmore Avenue. The girl was thrown from her bicycle at impact and was found lying unconscious in the street. Two nurses who were passing by at the time revived her. She was transferred to the Bay Area hospital where her condition was described as "grave."
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute reports that 74 of the 630 bicyclists killed nationally in 2009 were ages 14 and younger. This equates to almost 12 percent of bicycle fatalities are children. There were 93 bicyclists killed age 15 and under in 2008 and another 13,000 injured in bicycle accidents. Children often suffer severe head trauma or internal injuries when struck by a car or truck due to the size and speed of the vehicle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that California had 99 bicyclist fatalities in 2009 which is approximately 3 percent of all traffic fatalities in the state for that year. California was ranked second in the country for cyclist fatalities; only 8 fewer than Florida reported. The state had more than double the fatalities of the next highest state at 48 reported cyclists' deaths.

California Department of Motor Vehicles offers the following rules that bicyclists of all ages should follow:

-When making turns, cyclists must follow same rules and use same lanes as motorists do.

-Never go against the flow of traffic.

-Riders must always signal your intentions to anyone around you.

-Bicyclists are legally permitted to ride in the center of a lane when traveling at an equivalent speed as the flow of traffic.

-Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and road markings.

-Never ride on the sidewalk but bicyclists are permitted to ride as close to the curb as possible.

Continue reading "Children and Adults at High Risk of Summer Bicycle Accidents in Modesto" »