Why Do 57 Percent of Traffic Fatalities Occur on Rural Roads in Texas?

There was a time when people would drive on rural roads and rarely pass anyone. Farm and ranch road systems tend to serve as excellent shortcuts for people traveling from one city to the other. In most instances these people are not interested in looking at the scenery or sightseeing, they are just in a hurry to reach their destination as soon as possible. To a large extent, this has led to an increase in the number of fatalities on rural roads.

More Reasons

Here are some more causes of road traffic accidents on rural roads in Texas:

• City folk with sloppy driving habits and who have no concern for the calmer and slower lifestyle of people living in rural areas, drive in a mindless manner and cause accidents
• Rural roads are also not as well-engineered as urban ones; when people drive faster on the former, the chances of severe injuries in crashes and the likelihood of death increases
• There are behavioral differences too, such as drunk driving
• Motorists tend to drive without seat-belts when they are in rural areas as they feel it is less dangerous to drive there
• The delivery of acute medical care is also much slower in these regions and people may succumb to their injuries

According to the TxDOT failure to control vehicular speed was the No.1 reason of road accidents on the State’s rural roads. Driver inattention was the No.2 factor and city folk that drive in these areas tend to relax and get distracted when talking on their cell phones while they are at the steering wheel. Roadways can also be extremely slick and in rainy conditions and it is important to slow down.

Learn Defensive Driving

Most rural roads are not built to high construction standards and many are also surfaced with gravel. Loose rock is a distinct hazard as it rolls between the tires, increases the stopping distance, and has a negative impact on steering. By taking a defensive driving course, you will learn the importance of rural road safety, as you can't really change the driving habits of other motorists.

Defensive driving is a lot about the safety and ensuring you have an escape route. If a car encroaches onto your space, you should look for the best way to avoid hitting it.