Car Accidents in Rural Areas: Unique Challenges and Safety Measures
If you were to ask someone the most dangerous place to drive, they’d likely say the city. Driving in the city is certainly challenging, with stop-and-go traffic, aggressive drivers, and a widespread lack of parking. However, the fact is that rural car accidents are actually very common and often more dangerous. It’s important for drivers who often drive in rural areas to know these risks and how to protect themselves.
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How Common Are Rural Car Accidents?
Many people are surprised to find out just how common rural car accidents are. While these areas are known for their lower population density and open areas, these facts come with their own challenges that drive up the chances of a car crash. Some of the factors contributing to rural collisions include:
- Lack of infrastructure: A lot of money goes into city infrastructure. Potholes, damaged road signs, and malfunctioning traffic lights must be fixed in a timely manner to avoid accidents. But in rural areas, these same problems often go overlooked because there’s simply less money put into infrastructure. This puts rural residents at a higher level of risk.
- Likelihood of driver fatigue: Rural drivers often have to drive much longer distances to get to work, run errands, and socialize. This puts drivers at greater risk of fatigue, which makes driving much more dangerous.
- Higher speed limits: In general, rural routes have higher speed limits than city roads. This is due to lower traffic levels. When you consider the fact that many drivers go above the speed limit, it’s obvious that accidents are inevitable.
Factors That Make Rural Car Accidents Riskier
Not only are rural accidents more common than many people think, but they are also more dangerous than many urban accidents. In fact, they have so many unique factors at play that it’s hard to compare them fairly to urban collisions. When these factors combine, you get a much broader understanding of what rural accidents are like and why drivers are at risk:
- Limited emergency services: In a car accident, the best-case scenario is that at least one person in either car will be able to call emergency services. But even if people are able to call for help immediately, that doesn’t mean help is close. In rural areas, emergency services are often shared between multiple municipalities. In some regions, one emergency dispatch location serves the entire county. After an accident is reported, injured drivers and passengers could still be waiting upwards of 20 minutes for help. This alone can make an accident far worse.
- Fewer witnesses and sources of help: What happens when an accident is serious enough to leave both drivers unconscious? In these situations, you’re reliant on the help of witnesses and strangers. In an urban area, this is usually not a problem—at least one person will call emergency services. In a rural area, someone may not even pass your crash for hours. Unfortunately, this also means that hit-and-run accidents are fairly common in rural regions. While urban drivers know that they’ll likely be caught by at least one witness or surveillance camera, rural drivers may be emboldened by the lack of witnesses.
- Wildlife: Rural areas have more than their fair share of wildlife. Accidents involving wildlife tend to be more complicated than those involving vehicles since other government agencies often get involved in cleanup and documentation of the wildlife involved. Additionally, wildlife can cause a shocking amount of damage to cars.
Safety Measures for Rural Areas
Rural drivers and passengers deserve to be safe on the road. A number of measures have been implemented to improve accident rates and outcomes. Improved infrastructure is a top priority since properly maintained roads have a positive impact on safety. Some agencies have diverted more money to speed limit enforcement in rural areas to encourage better compliance. Another top priority is improving emergency response time in rural areas to allow victims with serious injuries to receive faster treatment.
Get the Legal Help You Need with Gardner Law Firm
When you’re hurt in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. We’re the team to help you fight for what you deserve. Set up a time to talk to our Biloxi car accident lawyers now by calling us at 228-900-9618 or filling out our contact form.
