Attorney Representing Victims of Rural Road Car Wrecks
City driving presents its set of hazards including congestion, rear-end collisions, and highway interchanges. Statistics suggest that city driving is not as dangerous as driving rural back roads. Rural roads car wrecks have proven to be more lethal than those on Highway 59. Drivers may not be prepared for the dark, unfamiliar terrain of driving rural or county roads at night. Or drivers may seek to capitalize on less congestion by driving faster and more carelessly.
How dangerous are rural roads?
Statistics suggest that more fatal car crashes occur on rural roads than on city highways. Even though only 23% of the nation’s population lives in rural America, over 56% of the nation’s traffic fatalities occur in rural areas. {1} Even though city drivers travel more miles each day, rural drivers die in auto accidents at a rate that is 2.5%. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that countrywide, 6 out of 10 highway deaths occur on rural roads.
Why are rural roads more dangerous?
Rural roads are more dangerous than city highways for several reasons, both behavioral and environmental. Those reasons can include:
- Driver unfamiliarity – drivers may not know rural roads. The may be overconfident in their ability to navigate the unfamiliar terrain.
- Less police presence – drivers may believe that rural roads are not as heavily patrolled. They may drive faster and more recklessly on rural roads.
- Less congestion – drivers may think that rural roads are less traveled. This may lead some drivers to forego wearing their seat belt in addition to driving recklessly.
- Animals are more likely to cross rural roads, such as deer or cows. Unsuspecting drivers may overcompensate when trying to avoid the animal. Driver error can cause a more serious crash.
- Rural roads also present hazards, with less lighting than city streets. It may be more difficult to see debris or bends in the road at night.
Rural roads can be hazardous. Drivers should be aware of potential hazards, and drive more cautiously through rural areas and on county roads.
Hire an experienced attorney if you have been injured in a rural road car accident.
Even though you may make every effort to stay safe on the roads by obeying traffic signals, traveling the speed limit, and wearing your seatbelt, there are others on the road who won’t. If you or a loved one have been injured in a rural road car accident due to the negligence of another, contact Chelsie King Garza for a free consultation today.
