It’s very likely that you pass through at least one intersection every time you drive, even if you’re not going very far. Although the interstate highway system does do away with intersections, most road systems in the United States use them frequently. Some are light-controlled, others are four-way stops and others just have yield signs.
But no matter how they’re designed, these intersections always represent an increase in risk for drivers. After all, more than half of all of the car accidents leading to injuries and fatalities happen at intersections. Some steps have been taken to reduce these accident totals, such as installing roundabouts, but the risk certainly does still exist. It could be argued that a driver who tries to avoid intersections will be much safer than someone who does not – although that is impossible for the majority of drivers.
Why are they so dangerous?
Intersections create risk for a few different reasons, the first of which is that drivers have to make decisions. A driver has to decide if it’s their turn to go at a four-way stop. Even at a light-controlled intersection, the driver has to pay attention and make the decision to stop when the light turns red.
But the problem is that drivers are bound to make mistakes. Some will intentionally make the wrong decisions, such as rushing through a red light because they don’t want to stop and wait in traffic. They may have been speeding up to get through on a yellow light, for example, but they didn’t make it in time.
In other cases, drivers make accidental mistakes, like going out of turn at a four-way stop. They may have believed they were driving safely, but all it takes is one minor mental error to cause a car accident. Because traffic has to cross paths at an intersection, this is always a potential outcome. Those who have been injured need to know how to seek financial compensation.
