It’s very common for people to assume that driving in urban areas is more dangerous simply because there’s more traffic. This is especially true if they often drive in rural areas. Venturing into the city can feel overwhelming and chaotic.
But the statistics tell a very different story. Despite the majority of traffic happening on urban roads, the fatal accident rate on rural roads is much higher. This demonstrates how rural roads actually hold more danger for drivers, and there are two main reasons why this is true.
It’s difficult to get medical care
The first reason is simply that many injured people need medical care immediately after the crash. Some of them may only have minutes to live.
For a person who is already in the city, transporting them to the hospital may only take a few minutes, and they can get care quickly. But if the accident takes place a half hour outside of the city, there’s a significantly delayed response by medical professionals. This could lead to the person passing away because they don’t get treatment quickly enough.
These roads have higher speed limits
Another thing to remember is that speed is one of the main factors that determines whether an accident will lead to fatalities. A fatal accident is much more likely if both cars are driving at 60 miles per hour than if they are both driving at 30.
Rural roads often have higher speed limits. Even when drivers respect those speed limits, simply traveling at a faster rate increases their odds of serious injury. Additionally, some drivers will still speed excessively on these roads, further increasing the injury risk. Someone driving at 75 miles per hour has shorter reaction times, making a crash more likely and making injuries more severe.
Have you been injured or lost a loved one in a car accident another driver caused? You need to know how to seek compensation for lost wages, medical bills and more.