Are Rural Roads Safer Than City Streets?

It is no surprise to any driver that living in the city results in a bigger insurance bill than living in a more rural area. As a result of this fact, one might assume that rural roads must be safer than city streets. Some studies, however, suggest that exactly the opposite is true; drivers may be better off driving the city streets and highways than driving along rural roads.

As there are more drivers in urban areas, there are also more accidents. When viewed on a per capita basis, though, there are still fewer accidents than in rural areas. City drivers are more likely to be involved in multiple car accidents and pile-ups on the highway. There is also a greater chance of being hit from the side when pulling out from an intersection.

On the other hand, accidents that take place on country roads are 40% more likely to be fatal than those that occur on city streets and highways. Single-car accidents are more likely to occur in rural areas, such as roll-over accidents and collisions with trees and telephone poles, which also are more likely to be deadly accident. Collisions with animals occur more frequently on country roads and drunk driving is a greater risk. Drivers also tend to speed more on rural roads due to less traffic and a reduced police presence. People who live in the country drive farther to get to their destination, which means that they drive more than their urban counterparts. This is also a problem in the winter, where country roads are not likely to be maintained and cleared as well as city streets. Finally, emergency services take longer to get to accident scenes, which can result in more fatalities. As you can see, the greater risks are actually driving on rural roads, not urban streets.

At Boller & Vaughan, we know that suffering serious injuries in an auto accident, whether it occurs on a city street or a rural country road, can be a stressful, emotional, physically painful, and financially draining event. Allow us to take some of the burden of this situation from you and your family by handling your personal injury claim, which will allow us to work toward getting you the compensation that you need and deserve. As skilled Madison personal injury lawyers, we are here to help you through this ordeal from a legal perspective, while you concentrate on healing from your injuries and recovering from the financial impact of the accident. Contact us for a free consultation if you or a loved one was hurt in a traffic accident.