Traffic safety has always been important and in recent years several programs have been introduced to improve safety while on the road. With increasing technological advances we are able to build roads that are safer and create cars with safety features never before seen. Not only the cars and roads have become safer but emergency services have also improved with quicker response times and integrated programs that allow you to call 911 if involved in a car collision. Medical technology has also improved by being able to provide better medical treatment to the unfortunate involved in an auto accident. Creating new laws to provide better safety and the creation of new programs and campaigns that enforce driving safety, like the sobriety checkpoint, have also improved road safety.
California has 37 million residents according to the 2010 United States Census. 3.1 million people live in San Diego County, and 2.2 million in Riverside county, add these together and you have 5.3 million people living in Southern California. This doesn't even include Los Angeles or Orange County two major population centers of Southern California. The California Office of Traffic Safety has reported that the number of deaths resulting from traffic accidents totals 2,715 in all of California. A stunningly low number in comparison to years before. In fact, in 1944 when California's population was only 9 million the traffic safety reported that 2,534 people died while on California Highways. This is roughly the same number despite the fact that their are ten times as many cars on the road going at least 16 times as far, and twice as fast.
This isn't the first year of California's decreasing traffic related fatalities. In fact California has successfully decreased this rate for five years in a row. At a consistent rate of 12% from year to year. In 2009 there were 3,081 deaths from traffic related incidents. These numbers are have been steadily decreasing since the peak of 4,333 deaths in 2005, when the economy and housing boom were in full effect. Decreasing the number of fatalities from 2005 to 2010 by 37.3 %, means that more families are spared the tragedy of losing a loved one to a traffic accident.
This isn't the only positive news, California traffic related death rates have continued to decrease despite the rest of the nation. While most other states are starting to level off, California is still decreasing by a large rate.
Source:
On the Road, Traffic fatalities decline again by Dave Downey, North County Times
