While most drivers make occasional mistakes on the road, it goes without saying that roads should be designed and maintained in a way that minimizes car crash potential. Unfortunately, this may not be the case for many intersections.
On the morning of Christmas Eve, a tragic accident led to the death of 46-year-old Damion Paul after a three-vehicle crash at a Tennessee intersection. A worker from a nearby fast-food restaurant told reporters that the particular intersection where the crash occurred is extremely dangerous: “It’s pretty dangerous coming, trying to get across the intersection, you have to wait forever and then people don’t want to slow down, and so, it’s real risky.” She believed that adding a traffic light to the intersection may help to enhance safety and prevent future accidents from occurring.
Paul’s death came just four days after a teenage driver was seriously injured in the neighboring state of Virginia at an intersection that local residents call dangerous. The crash has prompted neighbors to push for the installation of a traffic light at the intersection, with many citing the four traffic lanes, two going in each direction, as unsafe. Others stated that too many people fail to abide by the speed limit while driving in the intersection.
In 2014, over one in four of total U.S. traffic fatalities occurred at intersections. Because of incidents like the ones mentioned above and this disproportionately high number of deaths, the Federal Highway Administration published recommended strategies that towns and cities can take to increase driver safety in intersections:
- Reduce the number of intersections
- Implement medians to separate opposite-direction lanes
- Provide left or right-turn only lanes
- Reduce or extend curb radius to increase safety
- Install a roundabout/rotary
- Eliminate parking that impairs driver sight distance.
- Implement Intersection warning signs
- Move yield lines further back
If you or a loved one has been the victim of poor road infrastructure or another driver’s error, it’s important that you contact a knowledgeable attorney. The personal injury lawyers at Bailey & Greer, PLLC, have experience with such claims and are ready to help you. Call us today at 901-475-7434 or fill out our contact form to make an appointment with our experienced team.
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