If you’ve ever been driving during rush hour, you’re very familiar with the idea of increased traffic congestion. There are certain times in the day when it simply doesn’t feel like the road can handle all of the vehicles that are on it. This can cause traffic to nearly grind to a halt when people are heading in to work or coming home at the end of the day.
What you might be wondering is if this higher level of traffic congestion increases the odds that you will be involved in an accident. Are you actually in more danger because of the number of cars around you on the road?
More accidents may happen
First off, some studies have linked traffic congestion to an increase in accidents. This is why your daily commute is often considered to be one of the most dangerous things that you do. When you’re driving around so many other vehicles, you’re at risk that any of those drivers could make a mistake. You could also be injured in a chain reaction accident where multiple drivers do not react properly to conditions.
Injuries may be less severe
Interestingly, however, it has also been suggested that lower traffic congestion levels over the past few years caused drivers to increase their speed, on average. This is one of the reasons given for the rise in fatal accidents. With less traffic congestion, the accidents themselves may have happened less often, but they were more severe when they did. Higher speeds almost always increase the risk of fatal injuries.
What are your options?
If you’ve been injured in a car accident or if you’ve lost a loved one, be sure you understand all of your legal options.
