Route 78 to San Marcos is being awarded a title, but not necessarily for something positive.

The San Diego Union Tribune has announced that out of all the bad traffic areas in San Diego County, Route 78 has the worst congestion for traffic congestion in 2009, with a total of 243 days of back-up in the past year.

What concerns our firm’s traffic accident attorneys is that bumper-to-bumper highways and stop-and-go traffic can lead to auto accidents that cause personal injuries like whiplash and worse.  And it is only getting worse, rather than better, with Route 78 (at Barham Drive) taking over for the infamous stretch of I-5 between Del Mar and Solana Beach.

From a 2009 study, here are the worst areas for traffic in San Diego County (Source: Sign On San Diego)

There are three causes of car accidents that bad traffic can lead to — road rage, tailgating, and distracted drivers.  Here are the top concerns that our traffic accident attorneys had in regards to the results published in this report:

Road Rage Increases In This Area

Most of us who commute to work each day never take into consideration the amount of danger we are putting ourselves in by traveling along heavily clogged freeways.  Traffic tends to make people more irritable, because honestly no one likes to sit still on the freeway, thus instances of road rage tend to go up.

Tailgating Isn’t Just For Football Games

In California, we tend to always be in a hurry to get to our destination, even when there is no physical route for us to take on the road.  So what happens in bad traffic?  Drivers inch forward as close as they can to the car in front of them, tailgating instead of leaving the space of one car ahead of them.  If you need to stop abruptly, you could run into the car in front of you or get hit from behind, damaging the car up ahead.

Slower Traffic + Boredom = Distracted Drivers

Another concern is that when traffic tends to slow down or not move at all, drivers can often experience a case of ennui or boredom, taking them straight to their mobile technological devices.  After all, why wait to go two feet every five minutes when you could be updating your status or texting a friend.  Distracted drivers cause accidents at low-speeds, as well as at high ones.

The traffic accident attorneys who work at our firm realize that traffic will never go away completely and that some area of San Diego will, by default, always be named as having the worst commute.  That aside, we want to remind you to be safe in these areas.  Make sure that you have the best car insurance policy that you can afford, do not tailgate, remain calm and cool and resist the urge to pick up a technological device that will take your eyes off the road.

If you were injured and believe that you deserve compensation, then call our bilingual law offices right away at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced traffic accident attorney and find out how we can help you.  We look forward to providing good advice for your case.  There is no fee if no recovery.

Your Take

What do you think the worst spots for traffic are in the San Diego County area?  What do you do to stay safe during bumper-to-bumper traffic?