Motorists need to be aware of risks faced on roadways so they can make informed choices when looking at vehicle safety features, and so they can drive assertively to reduce their accident risks. An experienced auto accident attorney knows some of the most dangerous and common types of car accidents happen at intersections. Many of these intersections are side impact or T-Bone accidents, where one vehicle is hit by another car and the two vehicles form a "T" shape. T-Bone crashes can be deadly due to intrusion on a car's passenger compartment and minimal protection provided by the side of a vehicle.
Safe Roads provides comprehensive information on intersection accidents for motorists. Learning about crash risks allows you to try to prevent accidents from putting you and your loved ones at risk.
T-Bone Crashes Are One of the Most Dangerous Intersection Accidents
A typical intersection has 32 potential conflict points, or areas where vehicles may collide. A roundabout has only eight potential conflict points. In situations where roundabouts are installed in intersections, a 39 percent reduction in motor vehicle accidents occurs. There is also a 76 percent reduction in accidents resulting in death, and a 90 percent decline in car accidents causing incapacitating injuries.
Many conflict points at intersections are crossing conflicts. Accidents can occur at these crossing conflicts when a driver enters an intersection when it is not his turn. Every time you approach an intersection, you need to be prepared to stop just in case other drivers fail to obey the rules. You should also yield when necessary to avoid striking the side of other vehicles.
Conflicts in intersections occur when a car runs a red light. Running a red light is one of the leading causes of T-Bone crashes. While motorists know running a red is dangerous and illegal, many drivers go through a traffic signal anyway. One survey revealed 63 percent of Americans see someone running a red light a few times a week, with many respondents saying they had seen someone run a red at least once a day. A third of all Americans know someone who has become involved in a car accident with a red-light runner.
The high number of people running reds helps to explain why intersection accidents are so common. In some urban areas, approximately half of all crashes happen at intersections. Intersections are the site of 1/5 of fatal car accidents on roads throughout the United States. More than 1.9 million auto accidents happen at U.S. intersections annually.
Because there is "comparatively little vehicle protective structure to safeguard" vehicle occupants in a T-Bone crash, side impact accidents at intersections are particularly deadly. Motorists should consider looking for a vehicle with appropriate safety features, including side airbags, to reduce the chances of dying in a broadside crash. Most injuries in T-Bone accidents involve the head, shoulders, and chest. Side airbags can help reduce impact of a collision.