Gary Dordick takes personal injury lawyer of the year 2017.Turn on the local news, and there is a fair chance you’ll see a video of a car chase. Police car chases are not just a Southern California thing. However, recent evidence shows that it is more prevalent here. Perhaps the most famous of all of these car chases is the OJ Simpson Bronco getaway. Broadcast on live TV across the country it burned the idea of such chases into our brain.
Today, the greater Los Angeles metro area sees more chases than any other. There are many reasons why this is and we’re here to examine them.
Part of it has to do with the weather. It’s almost always warm and sunny in SoCal. Much less likely to see a high-speed chase on I-90 in two feet of snow in Buffalo, New York. Crazier things happen, but likely not in this case.
Car friendly roads play a large part, too. Southern Cali was built for and around the auto. It is no wonder that the large number of freeways and wide roads would encourage such chases. The asphalt jungle allows for a unique situation here rather than the back roads of Colorado.
A different approach to law enforcement also plays a role. The LAPD has a different manual than the NYPD. Besides, such chases would be difficult to do on the crowded streets of another city. Here it almost seems natural.
A Complicated Situation
Of course, the above are just some examples. It doesn’t seem like the number of car chases will fall anytime soon. However, increased awareness of their potential dangers can improve road safety. No one wants to be on the wrong side of a police chase gone wrong. Understanding some of the reasons why they start in the first place will reduce crashes and injuries.
