How often do fatalities result from intersection collisions?

If you think about the one thing that your parents taught you as you started to gain independence as a child, it was probably to look both ways when crossing the street. Many of us had our parents tell us that because they knew all-too-well just how dangerous intersections could be, and they wanted to engrain in the importance of giving them the added attention that they deserve.

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) delved deeper into how dangerous intersections are as part of a federally-funded study that they published in late 2009. The statistics that they compiled revealed how intersection crashes account for 21.5% of fatal accidents and 40% of others. The researchers also found that no one municipality or state is immune to these types of incidents.

The researchers in the study also found that these accidents were just as apt to occur at intersections that didn’t have traffic signs or signals than ones that did.

Researchers discovered that 38% of the intersections where fatal accidents occurred in 2007 had regulatory signs. Another 34% had traffic signals. At least 27% didn’t have any traffic control system in place. The researchers determined an 83% fatality rate when accidents occurred at urban intersections with traffic signals.

FHWA’s data also reveals what types of crashes are most likely to result in fatalities at intersections. The researchers found the leading cause of fatal crashes was angle crashes. These factors accounted for 47% of all deadly intersection collisions in 2007. Single vehicle ones came in second and accounted for 30% of them. Opposite direction, including head-on incidents, accounted for at least 15% of all fatal crashes. Rear-end and sideswipe crashes were the two other factors that led to fatalities.

Intersections are deadly places, no matter whether you’re in a vehicle or crossing the street. Children and older adults are even more vulnerable to getting hurt than anyone else. California law allows a decedent’s loved ones to recover medical bills, funeral costs and other damages when they lose a loved one due to someone else’s negligence in a crash. An attorney here in San Mateo can advise you of the steps you need to take to prove liability and recover compensation in your case.