All about Top 5 Tourist Attractions in Los Angeles and Safety Driving Tips

Decision of spending much-awaited spare times in the County of Los Angeles will definitely satisfy and even surprise tourists’ leisure expectations whether it’s a holiday, an official leave, or simply a weekend solo or group get-away. Knowing that this county, also referred to as the “City of Angels”, holds numerous exceptionally breathtaking tourist attractions; wandering around its terrestrial property guarantees experiencing beyond vacation excellence.

Los Angeles has been truly blessed with plenty of mesmerizing beauty of nature. As a matter of fact, wide-ranging collection of competitive tourist attractions is constantly available, especially for the county’s valuable visitors. Furthermore, there are numerous attraction categories to choose from. These cover shopping centers and malls, amusement and eco parks, museums, and more. Undeniably, Los Angeles can provide every tourist’s vacation cravings; from getting active on the beach or strolling around majestic sceneries up to raiding shopping paradises.

Meanwhile, among Los Angeles’ complete listing of great tourist attractions, five (5) of them displays remarkable characteristics which definitely makes these attractions standout. The said places are internationally patronized and well-known as: the Universal Studios Hollywood containing world-famous movie studio and theme park and also features secured rides and attractions, beach city of the county – Malibu which promotes wineries and vineyards’ stroll to be explored by taking tour offers, Santa Monica/Venice Beach suggesting scenic ocean sightseeing as well as memorable dining experiences on the Pier and abundant shopping thrills, the Hollywood Walk of Fame that displays famous names acknowledged in Hollywood, engraved and polished by metal pieces inside coral stars attached to black textile squares,  and also, Rodeo Drive which has been characterized as a three-block shopping district located on Beverly Hills and known to be “the epicenter of luxury fashion.”

On the other hand, tourists, especially those who are tasked to take control of the wheels, considering the fact that they, most likely, are not yet fully familiarized with county’s road structures and conditions; therefore, should at least be aware of the common conflicts mostly encountered on Los Angeles’ road surfaces.

Thus, all drivers heading off to Los Angeles must be prepared for intense traffic situations, crisscrossing freeway ramps, aggressive driving behaviors, existence of motorcycles between lanes, left-turn arrows, narrow streets, correct route to follow, and more dangerous road hassles. Above anything else, securing good car condition must be done by all tourists before taking long trips, particularly in Los Angeles. In addition, some laws focusing on traffic issues are implemented within the state to protect all local and foreign motorists, at all times.

Battered Road Infrastructure and Its Tremendous Effects on U.S. Economy, Motorists

The roadway system of the United States is an interconnected web of major highways and streets that play a huge role in people’s lives. Not only are the over 4 million miles of public roadways capable of moving people, but they are likewise responsible for keeping the economy moving. These roadways enable the almost 11 million trucks to carry goods from ports and freight train terminals and distribute them to markets and cities all over the nation. In 2011, the whole roadway system carried 3 trillion vehicle miles traveled.

But like any other form of infrastructure in the U.S., the nation’s roadways are facing more and more problems. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in its 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, gave roads a grade of D—“poor.” This means that a lot of highways, streets, and even bridges are now in shoddy conditions, which could have repercussions to the economy, as well as to the lives of motorists.

Right now, around a third of the major roadways in the U.S. are either in poor or mediocre condition. Every year, motorists traveling on these yet-to-be-fixed roadways shell out a total of 67 billion dollars in repairs and operating costs. That is $324.00 per motorist. Also, 42 percent of the major urban roadways in the U.S. are highly congested, with 2010 ACSE estimations stating that motorists are wasting nearly 2 billion gallons of fuel and an average of 34 hours. Overall, the U.S. economy loses a whopping $101 billion yearly just because of wasted gas.

Indeed, poorly-maintained roads are fast becoming hindrances not just for the continuity of business operations, but also in the macroeconomic aspects of growth, expansion, and global competitiveness. It does not really help that some of the age-old, dilapidated, waiting-to-be-fixed roadways are the reasons why the U.S. is lagging behind in the field of road infrastructure among economic superpowers. Here, the nation only spends 2.4 percent of its economy in road and other infrastructure efforts. In comparison, Europe spends 5 percent, while China spends 12 percent.

The sorry state of the U.S. roadways is also harming the aspect of motorist safety. In fact, a third of all motor vehicle crash deaths in the nation are due to poor road conditions such as potholes, uneven road surfaces, and other hazards. Apart from the economic losses that these crashes cause—they cost the U.S. economy approximately $230 billion annually—is the surge in injuries and deaths stemming from these unfortunate events.

A car accident attorney in Los Angeles explains that victims of those injured in vehicle accidents are entitled to sue damages to other parties, including city and/or state governments, for negligence in keeping the roadways safe. Indeed, coming up with a budget to maintain pothole-filled roads become a challenge since these entities also have to pay damages for the accident victims.

Indeed, existing road hazards continue to harm not just other people, but also the state of economy in the U.S. Yes, there have been improvements through investments, funding, and construction repair efforts, but these are still insufficient. Unless both the federal and state governments devise long-term solutions, road infrastructure in the whole nation will continue to be battered for years to come.

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NHTSA Now Officially Requires Rearview Camera in New Vehicles

In final ruling issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it now requires all new vehicles under certain weight to have a rear visibility technology installed by May 2018.

The new measure aims to enhance the safety of vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of deaths and injuries caused by back-over accidents.

"Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents — our children and seniors,” said the U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

“As a father, I can only imagine how heart wrenching these types of accidents can be for families, but we hope that today's rule will serve as a significant step toward reducing these tragic accidents," Foxx added.

From now on, all vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds manufactured on or after May 1, 2018 should come with a rearview camera installed so that drivers of a vehicle would be able to view the blind spot areas of the vehicle, to reduce or even prevent fatalities and injuries as a result of back over accidents.

The agency requires the system to have a 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. Also, the agency has set several other requirements of the camera which include the image size, linger time, response time, durability and deactivation.

Moreover, since the agency believes that the new system will save lives following a horrible car accident, it is already recommending the new technology and is encouraging consumers to consider it when buying new cars.

Based on a recent statistic, there are approximately 210 deaths and 15,000 injuries caused by back-over accidents each year. Worst is that 31 percent of the victims are children under 5-year-old, while 26 percent of which are 70-year-old and older.

So far, even before the agency’s recent ruling, several automakers have already been installing the technology in their new vehicles due to consumer demands. Thus, I don’t think the agency would be having a hard time encouraging people to apply the ruling.

Experts have speculated that if the ruling has been implemented, 58 to 69 lives are expected to be saved each year.

In his own viewpoint, our Los Angeles accident attorney is personally pleased to have such device in his car not only because it is the latest trend among car enthusiasts, but also due to its significant role in reducing accident risks.

Another Alleged Victim of Slip-and-fall at Wal-Mart Comes Out

In our years of experience in this industry, we have heard a lot of stories of slip-and-fall incidences at Wal-Mart. However, it is not a certainty whether or not the retail giant is being negligent in ensuring safety within its premises, or is it just the victims’ misfortune.

Recent news reports have it that the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, is again facing another slip-and-fall lawsuit filed by a shopper.

In her lawsuit, Paula Johnson claimed that while she was shopping at a Wal-Mart store, she slipped into a puddle of water as she was approaching the cash register, causing her to fall on floor. She further claimed that she was severely injured from the said fall.

Johnson is accusing Wal-Mart of negligence for failing to maintain the floors’ condition safe. She argued in her lawsuit that allowing such puddle of water to exist puts the customers at risk of slipping and falling.

Now, she is seeking between $200,000 and $1 million in damages in her lawsuit.

As of this writing, no comments were yet released by the retail giant regarding the matter.

“In any place, slip-and-fall accidents may happen almost anywhere, even in residential homes. Thus, the chances of the same from happening in crowded areas like a grocery store is always high, thus, be very much careful every time you step out of your doorway,” reminded by our slip-and-fall accident attorney in Los Angeles.

California Woman Attacked by Thousand Bees after Two Car Crash

Image gives credit to KTLA5.

Most probably, a California woman who had been involved in a car crash had never imagined that there would be worse to come following her traffic misfortune.

After a minor car accident that occurred in the city of La Canada Flintridge, two female drivers were sent to a hospital not because of injuries they incurred from the car crash but due to stings of bees all over their body.

According to recent news reports, one 51-year-old female driver and a 17-year-old girl, who have been involved in a vehicle collision, were hospitalized after more than a thousand of bees attacked them.

The swarm of bees was apparently triggered by the car accident, whereas the other vehicle hit the tree and caused its limb to break, unleashing the bees from its hive.

Witnesses claimed the drivers were exchanging insurance information when they were ambushed by the relentless insects.

Since neighbors were unable to rescue the two women, they just persuaded the elder woman to jump into a nearby swimming pool but bees continued its attack until she was rescued by the authorities.

The teen driver on the other hand fell to the street when a deputy found her being attacked by bees as well. The deputy had to spray her with a fire extinguisher to get the swarm of bees off her, reports said.

The young girl was stung at least 50 times while the elder woman was stung more than a thousand times. Thus, both of them were treated at the hospital. The authorities who came to rescue were also stung but not hospitalized.

That was definitely one bad crash. Next time, make sure to exchange insurance information somewhere safe especially when collisions occur in woody areas. Los Angeles has lots of such locations, so be careful, reminded by our car accident attorney.