More Motorists Die On Rural Roads

More than half of the 37,000+ traffic deaths in this country occurred on rural roads in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Although there are more crashes in urban areas, the percentage of fatalities is less. There are a number of reasons for this, including:

• People tend to drive faster in rural areas. There tends to be less traffic and less traffic enforcement by the police
• The roads are not as well engineered and many times are not in the best shape
• There tends to be less seat belt use and more drunken driving in rural areas
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response times are longer due to greater distances
• High level trauma care is usually farther away as well

The upper midwest seems to be hardest hit by this phenomenon, in part because there is a much greater area considered rural in those states. for example, the number of traffic deaths on rural roads is 92% of the total traffic deaths in Montana, 88% in North Dakota, and about 70% in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Interestingly, large parts of California and Nevada are rural, but their percentage of rural traffic deaths are only 38%.

Many states are taking inexpensive steps to reduce this problem. Seat belt campaigns can be effective. The state of Minnesota recently made lack of seat belt use a primary offense, and the compliance rate now approaches 90%. Other states are installing rumble strips, creating safe large animal crossing areas (deer and elk), and stepping up drunk driving checks.

If you must drive in a rural area, your best protection is to pay attention. Don't get lulled into believing you are safe because you appear to be the only person on the road. Keep an eye out for animals near the roadway, and pay particular attention to all drivers as you approach intersections. You can't count on the other drivers to follow the rules!

For more information, see this article in USA Today: http://bit.ly/WE6sQ