If someone asked you to picture a car crash, you’d likely describe something on the interstate. A high-speed crash with wreckage strewn across the lanes.
While crashes on major roads tend to be catastrophic due to the high speeds involved, one study found that almost 40% of all crashes occur within six minutes of setting off. That’s when you are probably still on local minor roads.
Here is why:
Many people are not ready to drive before they start off
Each morning, thousands of people in your area get into their cars to drive to work or drop the kids off at school. Some will still be finishing breakfast as they drive. Others will be setting up the radio or connecting their phones to the hands-free system. Others will be checking their messages, running through their to-do lists in their heads, or questioning their children to ensure they have everything they need for school.
Those things that people do in the first few minutes of their journey are highly distracting. It’s not to say that people are never distracted on interstates – they are– but they will have already put aside many of those distractions by the time they reach a major road.
Major roads involve less interaction with other vehicles
Once you are on the interstate, you pretty much drive in a straight line until you need to turn off. If you need to overtake, you change lanes. Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward.
When you drive on local roads, you need to constantly look in all directions, because of the number of intersections you will cross. You will also pass many others pulling out from their driveways or from car parks or parking spaces outside shops and businesses. Many may still be distracted as they set off, as mentioned earlier.
Regardless of where a crash happens, if you are injured, you will need to find out more about your compensation options.
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