Ten Most Dangerous Intersections
July 2, 2001
State Farm insurance company has released its latest study in which the company ranks the ten most dangerous intersections in the United States. Number one on the list is the intersection of Flamingo Road and Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines, Florida, just North of Miami. According to State Farm statistics, nearly 200,000 cars pass through the intersection on a daily basis. With so many cars, the intersection averages one auto accident every two days, costing over $1 million dollars in property damage each year.
The second and third most dangerous intersections are in Philadelphia, these are followed by Phoenix at number four, two intersections in Tulsa at five and six, another in Phoenix, Frisco, Texas at eight, Metairie, Louisiana at nine, and Sacramento comes in at number ten. State Farm officials decided to conduct the study when they discovered that retrofitting many of these troubled intersections could reduce accidents, and thus insurance payouts, considerably. The company believes that relatively simple and low cost improvements (under $100,000) can yield substantial safety benefits. For instance, many of the intersections mentioned in State Farm's study simply need better signage, more effectively placed traffic signals, or a fresh coat of paint on the lane lines in order to reduce accident rates.
Auto accidents occur every two seconds in the United States, costing over $190 billion dollars in medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. If low cost steps can be taken to reduce the occurrence of such accidents, why have local governments failed to implement improvements? For instance, many of the intersections considered by State Farm have traffic signals which are placed too low, making them difficult to see when following a high profile vehicle such as a tractor trailer. Drivers are forced to guess whether the light remains green when following such vehicles. Simply repositioning the traffic light a few feet higher can significantly improve visibility.
Until local governments act to correct these problems, drivers will remain in significant danger at these and other intersections throughout the country.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
More ...
- Family Sues Subdivision
- Maryland Truck Accident Leaves Two Dead
- Missouri Tractor-Trailer Accident Leaves One Dead
.