DUI Accident Lawyer – Why Do You Need One?
The total number of vehicle collisions in Los Angeles County was a 6% decrease from 2021, which was a record year for accidents in California.
So why the decrease? One reason is that cars are safer. There have been some laws passed which aim to reduce accidents. Another is that more people are choosing to drive with their kids in the car and this has increased the safety of drivers with young kids. There are about 5 million car owners in the county and the city of Los Angeles and there were about 2 million car accidents in the county in 2021. Of those, about 90% of them involved a car accident and of those, about 30% of them involved injuries and about 30% of them involved death.
Traffic Accidents in Los Angeles County
In 2015, there were a total of 39,708 motor vehicle collisions in Los Angeles County and of these, about 42% were pedestrians. One third of all collisions were of motorcycles.
Pedestrian/Motorcycle accidents are on the rise due to the increasing number of people driving cars. Also, more pedestrians are choosing to bike across the street rather than walking. This has increased the chance of collisions with motor vehicles. However, not as many motorcycles are being driven to cross the street. The number of motorcycle owners has grown by about 20% since 2009.
In LA County, in 2015, there were about 5 million car owners and of these, about 4 million people drove their own cars. Of those people, about 3 million drove themselves to work and home. Of the 2 million people driving their own car, 1 million drove to the grocery store or to drop off kids at soccer practice. Of those people, about 1 million drove every day. These people drive safely. Most car drivers drive at a speed of 15 miles per hour. Of all car drivers, about 95% reported keeping a proper lookout while driving. Many car drivers drive only if they are in a designated no zone. Most car drivers also reported keeping a distance of 100 feet between their car and other vehicles. And, most car drivers surveyed reported observing a proper braking distance between their car and other vehicles. In 2015, there were about 900 DUI collisions, and in 2015, there were about 1,000 car accidents. These are the statistics from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In 2017, there were about 4,000 DUI collisions and in 2017, there were about 2,000 car accidents. These are the statistics from the L.A. County Office of Traffic Safety.
What statistics should I note?
The State of California maintains a website with important statistics regarding DUI accidents and DUI drivers. Most of the statistics on this website are accurate for 2015. We have checked this website in 2017 and are confident in its statistics for 2016. Many people have reported that they have not noticed significant improvement in DUI statistics for 2016. We will continue to monitor statistics over the next few years to determine if there has been any change.
Do I need to know everything to protect myself?
If you are injured by a DUI driver, you may feel that you need to know everything about DUI statistics, so you will know whether or not the DUI statistics are improving or not. But, that’s usually not what you should be focusing on. You should be focused on making a decision regarding whether or not to use a personal injury attorney and whether or not to hire a DUI accident attorney. If you feel like you need to know everything, or at least know a lot, you could take statistics, for instance, and not use a DUI accident attorney, for you could just look for a DUI accident attorney in your area and inquire about what the statistics have been, they may well tell you that they are not improving.
If you feel that you need to know everything, you should check the personal injury attorneys and accident attorneys, for you, in your area to be sure they specialize in DUI accident cases. And if you can’t find any, you should research the DUI accident attorneys for your area and DUI accident attorneys that are available to see if they have specialized in DUI accidents or accidents involving alcohol and are available.
Your decision regarding whether or not to hire a DUI accident attorney or personal injury attorney should be made after you know what the statistics are, and what the personal injury attorney or DUI accident attorneys for you area have to offer.
What the Statistics Have To Offer
Statistics show that the number of DUI accidents continues to increase, in fact, the percentage of DUI accident crashes has increased to an all time high of 29% (in 2005). The United States Department of Transportation reports that since 1997, the rate of fatal crashes due to DUI has increased by almost 60%. The results are alarming, because the majority of these accidents occur on Saturday, while an estimated 73% of the nation’s fatalities occur on Saturdays. The national highway department reports that there have been over 3.3 million fatalities related to DUI in the last 32 years. This is an astounding statistic, which clearly states that more than 30% of all fatal crashes since 1997 have been due to DUI. It is obvious that more needs to be done to make DUI accidents safer, including stiffer penalties for the reckless drivers and increased awareness on the part of the drivers. So, should you choose to hire a DUI accident attorney or a personal injury attorney?
Should You Hire a DUI Accident Attorney?
If you are the driver who has been charged with a DUI, the obvious answer is yes, you should choose a DUI accident lawyer. One of the reasons DUI accidents are so dangerous is because the individual who is charged with this crime is under the impression that they will not receive any serious consequences. The truth is that there are stiffer penalties for DUI than for any other traffic infraction, even for reckless driving. The penalties are mandatory. The law is clear. So, why does someone still choose to hire a DUI accident lawyer?
1. If the driver who has been charged with a DUI decides to take the case to court, and wins the case, the driver will get the DUI charges dropped and the charges will be expunged from his or her record. In many cases, you can get the DUI charges expunged in return for a full and unconditional apology. If the driver does not win the case, the driver cannot use the DUI charge to prevent him or her from applying for many other jobs, obtaining professional licenses and obtaining automobile insurance.
2. DUI accident attorneys usually work on a contingency basis. This means that they do not receive a fee for their work until the case is settled. In return, they agree to not charge any fee beyond their fee until the case is settled. If the case is settled for a successful outcome, the contingency fee is typically 30% of the settlement amount. However, in the event that the case is not settled, then the fees will be at a maximum of 37.5%.
3. A DUI accident lawyer will usually take a portion of the settlement amount as their fee. This means that in return for taking the case and negotiating a settlement, the DUI accident lawyer has committed to work on the case for a set amount of time. This commitment will typically be 1 year, but this is not set in stone.
4. DUI accident lawyers must abide by rules established by the legal ethics code. In particular, they cannot be involved in matters that could involve the case in a proceeding that can lead to suspension or disbarment.
These are the main reasons why DUI accident lawyers make these types of claims.
If you need help determining whether you can get a DUI case settled and for how much, you can contact an experienced DUI accident lawyer.
