Are you safer on a rural road?

A rural road often feels safer. It’s probably not very complex, so it’s easy to navigate. With fewer buildings in the way, these roads tend to be wide open and straight. They have good sight lines, and they don’t feel dangerous.

On the other hand, city streets often inspire the opposite feeling. Roads are very short and complex. There’s a lot of other traffic, and drivers also have to contend with cyclists and pedestrians. It feels more likely they will be injured or killed in an auto accident in the city, due to these complexities, than on a rural road. But is this true?

Fatal accident rates

When you look at the number of fatalities that happen every year, you can roughly divide them between these two areas. Approximately half of all fatal crashes will happen on urban streets, and the other half will happen on rural roads.

But don’t think that this means there is no difference between the two. More Americans live in urban areas, and so they spend a lot more time driving on city streets. Rural roads have much lower traffic levels and far fewer drivers. Therefore, if you look at the number of fatal accidents per mile driven, rural roads are actually much more dangerous. The accident fatality rate is higher.

There are a few different reasons for this, including the higher speed limits that make injuries more severe and the fact that these accidents are usually more remote, which can delay medical care – increasing the odds that an injured person will pass away.

Have you lost a loved one?

If you have lost a loved one in a fatal car accident caused by another driver, you may be able to seek financial compensation for funeral costs, medical bills and much more.