The more roads there are cross-crossing an area, the more intersections people have to pass through while driving. Every intersection is an opportunity to reroute, but it is also an opportunity for a collision.
Despite the need for many drivers to slow as they approach intersections, they are where a large number of collisions occur each year. With multiple lanes of traffic crossing each other, some drivers making mistakes and causing wrecks is all but inevitable.
Motorists can potentially reduce their risk of intersection crashes by educating themselves about what causes such collisions. For example, the following are three of the top contributing factors to intersection accidents.
Inadequate surveillance
In a long-term review performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researchers discussed what issues led to intersection decisions. What they found was that a significant percentage of those crashes involved drivers who did not properly monitor their surroundings. Particularly when people are at that location to travel regularly, they may fail to properly look for other vehicles because they feel confident and perhaps overly comfortable. Visibility issues at some intersections contribute to this issue. Many drivers also make false assumptions about what others intend to do because not everyone consistently uses their turn signals.
Inappropriate conduct
Depending on whether there is a light or posted signs, people may have to stop or yield when they approach an intersection. However, it is surprisingly common for those who should wait and monitor traffic to simply roll through red lights and stop signs despite the law. People who don’t come to a full stop may not notice oncoming traffic or pedestrians nearby. They could cause completely preventable collisions due to rushing through the intersection instead of following lights and signage for optimal safety.
Left turns
Some package delivery companies specifically plan driver routes to minimize how many left turns they make. Companies may even have a delivery professional go around an entire block rather than turn left. The reason for that practice is simple. Left-hand turns are responsible for a majority of the crashes that occur at intersections. They cause a lot of exposure and open someone up to risk because they cross multiple lanes of traffic.
Adjusting personal conduct to account for those risk factors could help someone reduce their chances of causing – or otherwise being involved in – a major motor vehicle collision. Drivers who understand the risks as they approach an intersection can use that information to optimize their safety.