An intersection is the point where two or more roads meet, converge, or cross each other. These locations are particularly dangerous because traffic from many different directions is coming into a central point. These intersections may be marked with yield or stop signs or there may be traffic lights. In many locations, there is very limited signage that indicates that there are important reasons to drive carefully and pay attention. Depending on the intersection, as many as six roads may converge.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 40% of all traffic crashes across the country happen in an intersection. In addition, 21% of fatal crashes happen at this dangerous place where roadways converge.
There was a fatal intersection crash in Fayette, Mississippi a few weeks ago. A 21-year-old driver failed to yield at the intersection of Sunny Side Drive and Highway 61. The young woman crossed into the path of a Ford F-150 traveling north on Highway 61. Her vehicle was impacted in a broadside collision. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pick-up who hit her, an 18-year-old, had minor injuries, but declined medical attention at the scene.
Intersection accidents often involve broadside, also known as side impact, collisions where one vehicle impacts another along the side of the vehicle. Although recent car models are equipped with side impact airbags, many older models are not. The problem with this type of accident is that there is very little protection for the driver and passengers in the construction of the door frame. This leads to wide-ranging traumatic injuries. In addition, after the initial impact, the vehicle may be propelled into other vehicles or stationary objects bordering the roadway.
The NHTSA has studied the types of behaviors that often lead to intersection accidents, including:
- While traveling through intersections, drivers may cause a crash by failing to pay attention to traffic signals, stop signs, and yields;
- Drivers may misjudge the actions or anticipated behavior of other drivers;
- Drivers who are making a left hand turn at an intersection with a traffic light or stop sign may turn in front of another vehicle because they do not accurately understand the speed of oncoming drivers or do not see them because of obstructed views in the intersection;
- Distracted driving has a disproportionate effect on 24 years of age or younger;
- Medical impairment or fatigue leads to many accidents for drivers between the ages of 25 to 54 years of age;
- Drivers between the age of 25 and 54 are involved in accidents that result from aggressive driving, illegal actions, and distracted driving;
- Drivers aged 55 years or older are involved in accidents caused by a failure to observe other vehicles entering the intersection or a failure to estimate the speed of other drivers converging on the intersection;
- Female drivers are more likely to be distracted by things occurring within the vehicle, such as the cell phone, children, or even animals, or making mistakes about what other drivers are going to do as they approach the intersection; and
- Male drivers are more likely to violate traffic laws in the intersection, drive aggressively, or fail to respond to the circumstances presented by the intersection.
Intersections pose a very unique and potentially dangerous set of circumstances where driver negligence can lead to life-altering crashes. The most basic of mistakes can be critical. It is important to have the right personal injury attorneys in order to get the damages award that victims deserve.
Many accidents that occur in an intersection involve serious injuries that require a long recovery period. The experienced and hardworking attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC will fight to represent your interests and protect your legal rights in order to get you the compensation that you need to recover from the harm that you suffered. We will evaluate your case during an initial consultation. To schedule a first meeting, please call us at (800) 707-9577. Our attorneys only receive a payment when we recover on your claims.