Los Angeles is known as a “car city,” in comparison to Eastern urban meccas like New York, where residents heavily rely on public transportation. Compared to New York—built upward due to a lack of ground space—Southern California’s towns and cities spread out across a larger distance, making car travel necessary for the majority of residents. With congested roadways and thousands of intersections in Los Angeles alone, some intersections have more than earned their reputations as Southern California’s most dangerous intersections:
With nearly 30 crashes and 39 injury victims in a single recent year, Devonshire Street and Reseda Boulevard intersection is one to avoid, with speeding vehicles and many aggressive drivers despite its proximity to the LAPD’s Devonshire Division’s station.
The frequent accidents in this intersection commonly cause traffic delays that impact drivers heading to nearby LAX for flights, so it’s important to leave plenty of time for delays. With over 25 accidents and nearly 40 injuries in a single recent year, this intersection poses a significant danger for more than just missed flights.
This intersection includes entrances and exits to a nearby shopping center, adding to the general confusion and frequent crashes. In one year, this intersection saw 37 injuries in 26 accidents.
This intersection is a bustling mecca for fast food stops, with an In-and-Out Burger causing long lines, and traffic pulling in and out of several restaurants and cafes as well as a shopping center. The intersection is busy at all hours of the day and unexpected traffic patterns are the norm. There were 36 accidents with 32 injury victims in this intersection in a recent year.
This busy intersection only had 16 crashes in the same recent year, but higher typical speeds increased the severity of injuries with 31 injured victims and two fatalities in only 16 accidents in a single year.
Though the above intersections had the highest recent accident rates in Southern California, the following intersections are also dangerous, with many annual accidents occurring, including those with injuries and fatalities:
Intersections vary widely in design and not every driver knows the rules of right or way or adheres to them. Every intersection has its own dangers, including drivers who fail to yield the right of way, drivers who run red lights and stop signs, and drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Many drivers make the error of trying to beat a yellow light instead of slowing to a stop.
Rear-end accidents, side-impact accidents, and pedestrian accidents are sadly common in intersections in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California’s busy roadways. If you find yourself involved in a car wreck, it’s crucial to promptly seek legal advice by speaking to a car accident attorney in Encino who specializes in personal injury cases to ensure your rights are protected and to navigate the complexities of the legal process.