Are you safer driving in town or rural areas?

On Behalf of | Feb 25, 2023 | Car Accidents

If you are fed up with the city traffic, you might consider moving to somewhere more rural. Aside from avoiding frustrating delays, you might believe you are less likely to be involved in a crash if you live away from the hustle and bustle of a city.

This conclusion seems reasonable, as there are far fewer vehicles and intersections to contend with, and people probably are not as stressed as they are when driving in city traffic. But is it true? Not according to a recent Governors Highway Safety Association report.

Rural roads are more dangerous

The report found that a roughly equal number of crashes occur between urban and rural areas. Yet, only 19% of the population lives in rural areas, making the risk per driver much higher. Why might this be?

Driving home from the bar

City dwellers can take public transport, a cab or an Uber to get home after going out. Rural residents probably don’t have those options, at least not late at night. So, if they want to go out and drink, they are more likely to use their own car to do so.

Higher speeds

While snarled-up city roads can be frustratingly slow to drive on, traffic density can help to keep the risk of crash-related injury and death down. The faster you travel, the worse the damage is likely to be, and empty rural roads allow you to go fast.

You are further away from a hospital

Prompt medical attention saves lives. Cities and towns have far more ambulances and hospitals than rural areas do. Hence, those injured on a rural road are less likely to get the speedy attention they need to stop life-threatening injuries from becoming fatal.

Regardless of where you crash, the compensation process will be the same, and it is always wise to get legal guidance when trying to process a claim.

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Nathan A. Cobb