When you compare the driving experience on rural and urban streets, the rural roads often feel much more simplistic. There are long stretches of straight pavement, fewer intersections and less traffic overall. This often makes drivers feel like they are safer in a rural area, whereas the complexity and even chaos of an urban street feel more dangerous.
However, when you look at the fatality statistics, it becomes clear that rural roads are actually more dangerous. Per mile driven, they have a higher fatality rate than city streets. Why is this?
Accidents happen at higher speeds
The first reason is that car accidents on rural streets often happen at 55 or 60 miles an hour, if not faster. The greater the speed, the greater the odds of a fatality in the accident. Even if two car accidents are almost identical, if one happens at 60 miles an hour and the other happens at 30 miles an hour, the former accident is more dangerous.
Medical care is further away
The second reason is that rural roads tend to be much farther from hospitals, so it takes longer for medical care to arrive. If someone has suffered serious injuries – like internal bleeding – and they need medical assistance in 10 minutes to survive, it’s likely that they will get that assistance in the city. On a rural road, it could take 20 minutes for the medical crew to even arrive at the crash scene, making it far more likely the person will pass away from their injuries.
Have you lost a loved one or been injured in a serious car accident caused by another driver? If so, be sure you know what legal options you have.