Watch Out! Car Accidents on the Rise
Car accidents and car accident related deaths are more prevalent in California and Los Angeles specifically than they were a few years ago. TRIP, a non-profit research organization on transportation, published a report that highlighted the increase in traffic fatalities in California between 2019 to 2022. It was found that there was a 22 percent increase in traffic fatalities between 2019 and 2022. Alongside that, the likelihood of being killed in a traffic crash increased by 28 percent during the same time period. Additionally, Los Angeles County was found to have “the highest countywide vehicle accident rate in the state.”
According to data from the Los Angeles Police Department, 312 people were killed by traffic collisions in 2022. This was a five percent increase from previous years of 2020 and 2021, and it is labeled as the deadliest record the city has seen yet. Compare this to the year 2015, when 186 people were killed by traffic fatalities. With more than 52,000 car accidents in L.A. within 2022, it leaves “roughly 1,000 per week and more than 140 per day.”
During the mandatory lockdown, mandated by Governor Newsom, vehicle traffic had decreased dramatically as people were mandated to remain at home. But now, traffic returned almost to its pre-pandemic level in 2022. According to a study conducted by the University of North Carolina, rush-hour traffic in L.A. is not as bad as it had been pre-pandemic. This may be an effect of changes in the traditional hours of rush hour in L.A. as now drivers may disperse at different times throughout the day, especially with some people still working remotely or hybrid as a result of the pandemic.
So if traffic has returned to its level of pre-pandemic, yet rush hour has changed and improved ever so slightly, then why are traffic fatalities rising?
The rise in traffic fatalities comes from rooted issues of dangerous driving behaviors. Rocky Moretti, the TRIP Director of Policy and Research stated, “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people unbelted being killed in traffic crashes; we saw a 23 percent increase in speeding-related crashes and a 22 percent increase in alcohol-related crashes.” This does not include the 159 people who were killed in collisions involving pedestrians and motorists, and 20 people who were killed in collisions involving bicyclists and motorists. L.A. saw another increase of 19 and 11 percent in these deaths compared to 2019 as well.
The prevalence of these collisions is still found in 2023 thus far. For instance, just recently on Oct. 31, a man was struck and killed while riding a Lime Scooter in East Hollywood early Tuesday morning. The man was struck by a black sedan and ejected off the scooter where he was hit again by a silver Lexus. On Saturday, Oct. 28, a delivery driver’s leg was severed after he was struck by a suspected DUI driver in Boyle Heights.
Chad Swanson, a Manhattan Beach Police Department officer and victim of the Route 91 Harvest County Music Festival in Las Vegas–who also provided aid during the massacre shooting in 2017–was struck and killed on his motorcycle while on his way to work on Oct. 5. He was struck after a vehicle had made an unsafe change lane.
On Oct. 17, four young women from Pepperdine University were killed in a violent crash on PCH in Malibu. The driver who struck and killed the four sorority sisters lost control of his vehicle and struck three parked cars before hitting the four women on the side of the road. Authorities said that at least four vehicles were involved and speed may be the likely factor in this crash. During a press conference, LASD Capt. Jennifer Seto also expressed that speed is a top concern alongside PCH.
Damian Kevitt, the executive director of the nonprofit organization Streets Are For Everyone — which aims to improve the quality of life for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers alike by reducing traffic fatalities to zero–had stated, “It’s frustrating and infuriating…all of these fatalities are preventable.” Vision Zero, the city’s program also seeks to eliminate and end traffic fatalities by the year 2025. Both of these programs hope to educate the public about the outcomes, consequences, and promotion of safe driving so that lives can be saved.
If there are any accidents on or near campus and students need emergency services, students can call the Whittier Police Department’s number at 562. 567.9200 or Campus Safety at 562.907.4911.
Photo Courtesy of Amendt Law.
