7. Running Stop Signs.

Drivers often feel safe when approaching a stop sign, but you are not safe in an intersection when another car driver runs a stop sign. Each year thousands of car accidents are caused by drivers that run stop signs. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 13,627 cars involved in fatal automobile accidents caused by running a stop sign in 1999 and 2000. Our car accident lawyers believe that these fatal car accident statistics must be reduced.

Stop sign running is often caused by impatience. People that run stop signs are often in a hurry or just merely assume that no one is coming as they blow through an intersection. Even worse, some drivers run stop signs without even realizing it until it is too late. Often these distracted drivers or reckless drivers also make unsafe lane changes, run red lights and cause many other assorted horrors on the road. One way or another, car accidents caused by drivers that ran a stop sign need to stop.

Law enforcement officials are trying to pull over as many drivers that run stop signs as they can, but there are only so many patrol officers to go around. Police officials believe that increased traffic on main roads is causing drivers to look for alternative routes on smaller roads. These roads, often not used to heavy traffic, tend to have more stop signs than populated areas. With less traffic, drivers will be more likely to run a stop sign — and also more likely to cause a car accident.

Preventing Fatal Car Accidents At Stop Signs

Always come to a complete stop at a stop sign.
Count to three after stopping and check for cars in each direction (not just left and right, but also the street directly across from you).

While there will always be car accidents, we believe — as car accident lawyers — that you should still do your best to avoid causing one. If you take extra precaution and follow the rules of the road, you are one step closer to making it home safely. Please do not let one stop sign and impatience keep you from coming to a complete stop.

Call Us Now to Maximize Your Auto Accident Settlement

If one of our personal injury clients was involved an auto accident caused by someone that ran a stop sign, our San Diego law firm’s car accident attorneys set up an investigation at the intersection where the car accident occurred. We might also hire traffic engineers to examine the scene of the car accident and would determine if there had been other car accidents in the same area.

Sometimes, our investigations find that there should have been a traffic light, instead of a stop sign, at the intersection. To file an insurance claim with the government for a car accident — if, for instance, a stop sign did not provide adequate safety at an intersection — you must prove two things:

The area where the car accident occurred was a dangerous intersection or area.
This exact dangerous condition was a substantial factor in this car accident.

Since 1992, our personal injury law firm has been dedicated to car accident injuries. If you want legal representation, you can trust our team to get the job done right. Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 for a FREE consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer or click here to submit your case for a FREE online review.

We look forward to providing good advice to help you make smart decisions about your case.

Most Recent Blog Post

[caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Credit: The San Diego Union Tribune"][/caption] Last week, we reported on a car accident in San Diego that resulted out of alleged teen street racing. In new developments, the 18-year-old driver charged with the death of the two teenagers involved in the street racing has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter among four other charges according to reports at the San Diego Union Tribune. The news follows the earlier arrest of another 16-year-old driver that was taken into custody on similar charges. Just shortly after his arraignment, Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver of a Volvo S40, said, according to his attorney, that he is not the responsible party in the tragic San Diego accident fatalities that occurred April 4. Accident reports indicate that Johnson was returning from a spring break beach party in La Jolla when he was allegedly involved in a street racing contest with another teen driver – the unidentified 16-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Passat whose name has not been released since he is a minor. According to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler, the two vehicles were zigzagging across lanes at speeds reaching up to a staggering 100 m.p.h. The 16-year-old driver in the Passat lost control over the vehicle, causing the car to flip over several times across multiple lanes of the road. Two passengers, Anthony Foreman, 18, and Jayli Campbell, 16, were thrown from the Passat and died at the scene of the accident. Two passengers survived the crash. Charlotte McQuillen, survived the accident although she suffered serious injury as a result of the collision including reports that say the teen will have to recover from traumatic brain injury. Anthoney Taylor, 16, also survived the crash although his injuries are unclear at this time. Johnson did not flee the scene of the accident according to police reports and cooperated with authorities once officers assessed the scene of the collision. The teen has no prior criminal record, although authorities say his vehicle was found containing a small amount of marijuana. Johnson is being charged with intoxicated driving, although his lawyer says there were no field sobriety tests to confirm the teen’s alleged intoxication. Teen driving: reminders for concerned parents Last week, we blogged on actions parents can take to prevent teen car accidents. Tips include:

Sign a parent-teen contract. Download your free contract now.
Enforcing the rules. Every teen driver needs to know that rules are there for a purpose, and when they are broken, consequences will follow.
Have a DUI backup plan. As most parents can attest, there are many instances when teen drivers run into problems that supersede their know-how and maturity. Drinking is one of those problems. In cases of emergency, your teen should have an open-door policy where they feel safe to call you when they need help – such in the case of drunk driving or driving while intoxicated.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC are specialists in car accident injury. Every personal injury attorney in our San Diego office works hard to seek maximum recovery for every injured client. Your case is handled without any out-of-pocket costs, so do not hesitate to speak to a San Diego personal injury lawyer today for a free legal evaluation. Call us at 1-800-655-6585.