[profileleft]
[/profileleft]Few stretches of road in Orange County are more iconic than the 37 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway from Seal Beach to San Clemente. It’s an area that tourists come to see; locals come to enjoy, and crowds converge upon for different reasons. While that’s positive in many ways, it’s also risky. Recently, the Orange County Transportation Authority and the California Department of Transportation completed a study of the PCH and identified quite a few existing and potential problems. Failure to address these problems will lead to more congestion, more frustration and ultimately to more PCH accidents that can result in injuries or even fatalities. We’d like everyone in the area to be aware of these trouble spots so that they can minimize the chance of harm.
About the Study
The two entities combined to spend $400,000 on identifying these potential problems. An article published by the Los Angeles Times that can be found here detailed the findings. These included:
- Newport Beach – 11 areas of the PCH were identified for improvement.
- Huntington Beach – 11 areas of the PCH were identified for improvement.
- Laguna Beach – The PCH between Broadway and Cress streets is a problem.
Newport Beach has already secured a county grant for $2.25 million for these types of improvements, but more will need to be done according to the study. The next step is for the Orange County Traffic Authority to present these findings to the local city councils so that additional corrective steps can be identified.
How Congestion and Lack of Infrastructure Lead to PCH Accidents
The report indicated that the most problematic areas that were identified were singled out for the following reasons:
- They were areas where motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists tend to converge.
- They were areas of high density because of nearby attractions.
- They were areas that lacked infrastructure such as sidewalks, traffic signals and other controls.
When you combine heavy traffic with a lack of organization in a condensed area, you’re only going to raise the risk that PCH accidents will occur. We’ve previously discussed the most common violations associated with Orange County car accidents, and many of them could be related to these types of traffic conditions. We’ve also put word out regarding the number of pedestrians and bicyclists that are injured and/or killed in Orange County accidents. The more that can be done to keep everyone in a small area clear on what they need to do while behind the wheel, on a bicycle or crossing a street on foot, the fewer number of accidents that will occur.
How Orange County Car Accident Lawyers Can Help
While we are always hopeful that people will remain as safe as possible when they are out and about in this area, the fact of the matter is that PCH accidents can and do occur, sometimes with alarming regularity. Those who are injured wrongfully need to take steps to protect their legal rights. If this includes you or someone you love, contact the Orange County personal injury lawyers at Gomez Trial Attorneys as soon as possible to schedule a free initial consultation.
