Crashes can happen at any point on the roads, yet a massive percentage happens at intersections.
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), half of all people injured on the roads get injured at an intersection. A quarter of those killed on the roads will die at an intersection. What makes these places so accident-prone?
It’s the number of variables at play
Think about a stretch of the interstate with a barrier down the middle and no turnings coming up for miles. You can relax a little when driving, knowing you only need to watch out for drivers traveling in the same direction as you.
Now think about a crossroads. You have vehicles traveling in four directions, and you might also have pedestrians crossing any of the four adjoining roads.
At an intersection, you need to predict what every other person is going to do, when they are going to do it and how long it will take them to complete their maneuver.
For example, is the vehicle in the opposite lane going to slow down as they see the lights about to change to red, or will they hit the gas and try and blast through, possibly crossing the light late? Is the pedestrian that looks like they are in a hurry going to wait until the lights change, or are will they dash across the moment a gap appears?
Predicting others’ behavior is challenging, especially if they fail to follow the rules. If someone injures you at an intersection, getting legal help to highlight how they broke the rules could help you get the compensation you need.