The True Dangers On Our Roads

BY CINDY TRILLO

Sustaining an injury in a traffic accident is a terrifying thing. If you’re the injured party, there’s the worry of treatment costs, the impact to your health and whether you’ll have to take any time off work and risk losing pay. For the at fault party, there’s insurance costs and a police investigation to consider amongst other things. Almost 1,259,000 accidents on America’s roads occur in rainy weather conditions and come the winter, the arrival of snow and ice in Rockland brings deadly driving conditions.

Dangers on the road

In a recent multi-vehicle crash on a snowy winter’s day in New York, one person was critically injured and another lost their life, further clarifying the role weather plays in incidences on the road. This isn’t great news for America which is currently being battered by a string of bad weather, including freezing temperatures, snow and even the recent arrival of a bomb cyclone.

However, it’s not just bad weather that can play a factor in road incidences. The glaring sun in both summer and winter can be blinding to a driver and can be just as hazardous, as was seen when there was a 130 vehicle pile up in North Carolina where 20 people were injured due to sun glare on a pavement.

America is home to some of the most dangerous and deadliest roads in the world. In New York, Long Island contributes to 7 out of the 10 most hazardous roads for drivers and pedestrians, including Route 25 in Suffolk County. While further afield, the Interstate 10 in Arizona is accountable for 85 road deaths a year.

It’s not me, it’s you

One of the most unpredictable things on the road is other road users. Shockingly, road rage in drivers is a leading cause of accidents across the world. As a driver, you can never be sure what another driver is thinking, the actions they may take, the route they might suddenly choose or even how they’re feeling.

Other than remaining as alert, following the laws of the road, including sticking to the speed limit, there’s not much else drivers can do to protect themselves from becoming the victim of another driver’s bad driving.

Should the worst happen

According to Tait & Hall, road accidents can be avoided, as long as drivers make reasonable adjustments to the way they drive in bad weather. Furthermore, they should always watch out for other drivers in a bid to prevent accident from occurring.

There are so many dangers on the road which contribute to accidents in Rockland and across America. There are always steps a driver can take to remain safe, but inevitably accidents do and will always happen.