Accidents Involving Disabled Vehicles in Los Angeles
Serious or catastrophic injuries leading to death can result from an operator or owner of a motor vehicle who fails to pay attention to its mechanical condition or gas gauge. When a motor vehicle breaks down or runs out of gas in the middle of a highway, the owner or operator of that vehicle must pull it over to the side of the road in a safe area outside of the lanes of moving traffic as soon as it's safe to do so. If the sun is down, the disabled vehicle might not even have its lights on. That's when it becomes even more of a hazard.Many trucks are even required to set out flares or specified warning devices to caution oncoming drivers of the hazard ahead. California Vehicle code 22500 states:“No person shall stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle whether attended or unattended, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a peace officer or official traffic control device…” See the rest of 22500 here.
Speed kills
Whether it's the stranded driver, the towing guy, a police officer or just somebody who stopped to help, there's a significant risk when standing next to a lane of traffic that's flying by at 70 mph. We've all heard or read about these accidents when people on the side of the road are hit and catastrophically injured or killed. With nearly 400,000 miles of total lane miles in California, these types of accidents aren't at all unusual. Speed and distraction are usually the key factors. Drivers in vehicles that are approaching disabled vehicles at high speeds can be suddenly surprised, especially they're driving too fast for traffic conditions, and their field of vision is blocked by a large vehicle in front of them. Drivers are also taken by surprise when they're distracted. Distractions might involve:- Using a mobile or navigational device
- Personal grooming
- Eating
- Changing CDs or radio stations
