Downey Car Accidents Linked to Troublesome Intersections, Freeway

Most Downey car accident lawyers will admit that the city has dangerous and troublesome intersections. With a population of over 108,000, Downey has suffered its share of motor vehicle tragedies. Many blame the city’s proximity to four freeways (Interstates 105, 5, 605 and 710). Others say a few notoriously dangerous streets and intersections are to blame for these car accidents.

One Downey resident noted that Imperial Highway and Downey Avenue is a dangerous intersection for car accidents. In March 2009, one person was killed in a three-vehicle car crash at Imperial Highway and Downey Avenue. Also unsafe is Pangborn Avenue, where 11 car accidents have occurred within a single year. In a recent Downey car accident, a young man was killed when the motorcycle he was riding collided with another car at Lakewood and Firestone boulevards.

These tragic car and motorcycle accidents are a sad reminder that motorists must drive with caution, especially when navigating streets and intersection that have a high car accident rate.

Lakewood Boulevard has always been a traffic problem, with its combination of excessive traffic congestion, speeding, and poor roadway conditions.

The street’s high mid-block car accident history is about 30 percent higher than the average for the rest of the city. In fact, seven of the city’s worst fifty roadway segments are on Lakewood Boulevard. Three major car accident intersections are located on this roadway, and these are among the top ten worst intersections in the city. The street’s traffic safety problems include turning radius, acceleration/deceleration ability, and sight distance. Fortunately, projects have been proposed to improve the conditions on Lakewood Boulevard.

To further improve safety, Downey plans to synchronize traffic signals on Firestone Boulevard from Stewart & Gray Road to Imperial Highway.

Plans are also underway to install fiber optic equipment and closed circuit cameras to monitor traffic. The same will be done to Imperial Highway from Firestone to Carmenita Road, and Imperial from Paramount Boulevard to Bellflower Boulevard. A wireless communications network will allow county officials to change traffic lights in real time, while responding to car accidents and congestion more quickly. Work should be completed by January 2010.

In 2006, the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) reported that nine people were killed in Downey car crashes and 664 were personally injured. Alcohol-related car accidents accounted for three fatalities and 56 injuries. Motorcycle accidents killed one person and injured 37. Two pedestrians lost their lives and 50 were injured in traffic accidents. In 2007, there were nine fatal accidents in the city.