You might think that roads that are in places like Evans where the population is fairly low are safer than other heavily trafficked Georgia ones. It turns out that the exact opposite is true though.
Research conducted by the National Public Radio (NPR) during the past decade revealed that rural roads are by far the more dangerous ones for a motorist to travel along.
The data that NPR’s researchers uncovered revealed that 56% of the 37,000 or more annual traffic fatalities that occur each year happen along rural roads. This is pretty shocking information considering how only 23% of Americans live in rural areas. In some areas of the country, the driver fatality rate reaches as high as 90% on rural roads. If you crunch the numbers, then drivers are 2.5 times more likely to die on rural roads than urban ones.
There are many reasons why drivers on rural roads have more fatalities than others. Motorists tend to drive faster on these more desolate roads. They also are less apt to operate their vehicle without a seat belt and under the influence of alcohol. Motorists who are involved in crashes and get hurt are less likely to receive necessary medical attention as quickly as they need to due to the remoteness of the area. Rural drivers are also more likely to collide with deer and other wild animals that venture out onto the road.
Rural highways tend to be more antiquated in their design, making it more difficult for a motorist to recover when they make some type of driving error. This is complicated by the fact that rural traffic lanes are generally narrower. Motorists are generally surrounded by a lot more ditches and trees along rural roadways as well.
NPR’s research revealed that the federal government only dedicates one-third of their highway funding to improving safety along rural roadways, although this is where nearly 60% of all traffic-related fatalities occur.
Crashes that occur in rural areas often don’t turn out well for car occupants. These types of incidents are sadly quite common. You may be entitled to monetary damages for your medical costs, pain and suffering and loss of wages if a negligent motorist has injured you. The attorney that reviews your case should be experienced in determining liability in Evans rural accidents if you want to achieve the best result in your case.