Fatal accident reports make it clear that rural roads are more dangerous than urban roads. To begin with, far more Americans live in urban areas, so rural roads see much lower traffic levels. But even though they don’t account for 50% of traffic, they do account for more than 50% of fatal crashes.
Why is the fatality rate so high on these roads? There are numerous factors to consider, including:
Speed limits tend to be higher
The first issue is that speed limits tend to be higher. In many cases, the speed limit is set at 55, but people are realistically driving 60 or 65 miles per hour. A head-on collision then happens at a combined speed of around 120 miles an hour. On a city street with a speed limit set at 25, the same exact crash would only have a cumulative speed of 50 mph. The faster an accident happens, the greater the odds of serious injuries.
Medical assistance tends to be further away
The second thing to consider is that many of these accidents are relatively remote. They may not be in the middle of nowhere, but the crash could take place 45 minutes away from the nearest hospital, for example.
When an accident takes place in the city, there are often many witnesses and police are called almost instantly. Someone could be at a local hospital in just a few minutes, getting treatment. But when an accident takes place on a rural road, there may not be any witnesses, delaying calls to emergency services. It then takes time for EMTs to get to the scene and more time to transport the victims to a hospital that’s large enough to provide the necessary care. All of these delays increase the odds that the person will pass away in the meantime.
Seeking compensation
Have you suffered major injuries in a car accident or even lost a loved one in a fatal crash? Take the time to carefully consider all of the legal options you have.