It often seems like the rural roads in Oklahoma would be safer. They tend to have excellent visibility, and you may often find yourself driving alone on a wide-open road where it feels like there’s a very low risk of getting into an accident. This is much different than driving in the city, around thousands of other drivers and on confusing road systems, where it feels like an accident could happen in a split second.
And it is true that fatal car accidents happen both in urban areas and or rural roads. In fact, the number of fatal crashes each year is roughly split between these two geographical areas. However, rural roads are still more dangerous.
Fatal accident rates
To identify this risk level, researchers looked at the fatal accident rates. They are almost always higher on rural roads because there are much lower traffic levels. If you see far fewer drivers on a rural road, but the same number of fatal car crashes as you have in the city, you can tell that something is influencing the statistics.
A big part of this issue is just the speed limits on those roads. In the city, many drivers have to travel at 25 or 35 miles an hour. On a rural road, they’re more likely to be driving 55 or 60 mph. Accidents at higher speeds are more likely to be fatal, meeting that a much higher percentage of rural crashes lead to fatal injuries.
Have you lost a loved one?
You may have lost a loved one in a fatal accident that was caused by another negligent driver. If so, you and your family need to know how to seek financial compensation for funeral costs, medical bills, lost earnings and much more.
