Although you may not have been watching closely, abacus in hand, the global population has been steadily rising since records began, and we’re showing no signs of slowing our efforts to cram more and more people onto our little blue and green spec of space dust. Although safety standards in cars and on our roads have been improving, the sheer volume of road users bustling for space on our highways means that even with all of our efforts to reduce the numbers of deaths on our roads, we’re still looking at an average yearly number of deaths in excess of 10 per 100,000 road users. Sobering statistics. But what can we learn from the road accident data? Well, many things, but today we’re going to look at where road accidents occur more frequently, so that we may be able to avoid them in our journey or become more aware whilst travelling in a road accident hotspot (incidentally, if you have been affected by a road accident that wasn’t your fault, see dangerous intersections DFW for more details).
Parking lots (known as ‘car parks’ in other areas of the world)
When we think of road accident hotspots, parking lots are a no-brainer. With so many cars moving in close proximity, and with so many other obstacles to consider that aren’t present on normal roads (e.g. pedestrians, shopping carts), the danger of a ‘fender bender’ is significant. Although these accidents tend to be at low speed and therefore injuries are not expected to be severe, parking lots are nevertheless a hotspot for car accidents, personal injury, and personal injury claims.
Highways in rural settings
Rural highways are a notorious settings for single vehicle accidents. There are two main reasons for this. First, due to the lack of any other vehicles on the road (or certainly due to the presence of only a very limited number of other vehicles, which tend to be spaced out so as not to impact on the driving decisions of others), drivers may lose concentration and veer off the road. Coupled with weathered road markings and potholes, driving conditions on rural highways make for a car accident hotspot.
Stop signs treated as optional stop signs
First, people may actually eventually come to a stop at stop signs, but only after failing to halt their car before the mark. Then there are the people who don’t stop at all, who treat stop signs as suggestions, not commands. And last, there are the rollers. These are people who roll forwards through stop signs, tentatively poking the nose of their vehicle out into the road ahead.
Drive carefully through these hotspots, and avoid them if you can!
this is a collaborative post
