Why Are Intersection Accidents So Common?
Intersections are some of the most congested areas on public roads. With two, three, four, or possibly even more roads converging at one particular point, you can only expect traffic to increase dramatically. And with this much traffic, the chances of accidents occurring are tremendously increased. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicate that close to 40 percent of all road accidents occur at intersections. With such a percentage, you would expect more than 2 million car crashes in the United States every year!
So, why do many accidents take place at intersections? While you can’t completely prevent accidents from happening, it’s worth noting that recklessness is a significant contributor to collisions at intersections. The good news is that you can always use a lawyer’s help to file for compensation whenever you are the victim of a wrongful collision.
Read on to discover other reasons that make intersection accidents so common.
Table of Contents
Distracted Driving
Regardless of the type of road, distracted driving is a major cause of collisions. Distraction is also heightened at intersections due to the massive traffic build-up.
When driving at an intersection, it’s of paramount importance for any driver to devote his attention to the task at hand. Whenever a driver pays attention to any form of distraction, the chances of causing intersection accidents are heightened.
Failing to Yield the Right of Way
The right-of-way rule is integral at maintaining sanity on roads, and more importantly, at intersections. Failing to adhere to the right-of-way rule is one of the biggest causes of collisions at intersections.
It’s always important to remember that even if you don’t see a traffic signal at an intersection, the right-of-way rules still apply. Drivers who don’t follow the right-of-way rules at an intersection always communicate poorly or make mistakes. Regardless of the reason, failure to yield the right-of-way will put a driver at risk of collision with other vehicles at an intersection.
Visual Obstruction
While ignorance and reckless driving are some of the major causes of collisions at an intersection, not all causes can be attributed to human error. Structural defects such as visual obstruction also play a significant role in causing a crash at an intersection.
Things such as overgrown thickets, misplaced billboards, and glaring street lights can obstruct a driver from seeing oncoming traffic. Even worse is the outcome at an intersection when a driver drives into an intersection at the wrong time. Although chances of a collision are high, visual obstruction at an intersection can also cause fatal accidents.
Overspeeding to Beat the Red Lights
Generally, speeding is one of the leading causes of road carnage. At an intersection, drivers often speed in a bid to beat the red light. While this might seem normal to many drivers, it causes collisions at intersections.
Speeding at an intersection often causes serious crashes. This is because the transfer force from a speeding vehicle can cause irrevocable damages to several vehicles at an intersection. Therefore, it’s important for a driver to always practice patience at any intersection.
Defective Equipment
As mentioned before, not all collisions at an intersection are due to driving errors. A small percentage of crashes are caused by defective equipment or unroadworthy vehicles.
Since not all vehicles on the road are in perfect condition, defective equipment may malfunction, causing a vehicle to crash. This can be a maintenance issue, or the problem could be a defect with the vehicle itself, just to name a few possibilities.
In a Nutshell
Road accidents, just like intersection collisions, are hard to control. As you’ve read above, a vast majority of collisions at an intersection are caused by human error. Therefore, drivers need to exercise extra caution while driving at any intersection.
