When you are driving through complex city streets, it is often readily apparent that you face certain hazards. You have to contend with other drivers, commercial vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and much more. All of this happens on complicated road designs with many intersections and stoplights.
Conversely, rural roads often seem safe because of their simplicity. You have wider lanes and excellent sight lines. Road designs tend to be straight and have limited intersections. On top of that, there is far less traffic around you.
However, although this makes rural roads feel safer, statistics point out that they are actually more dangerous. The fatal accident rate is notably higher.
Why is this true?
For one thing, when looking at fatal accidents, speed plays a major role. Accidents in the city often happen at lower speeds. There may be more total accidents, but it is less likely that people will suffer severe injuries. On a rural road, even if accidents feel less common, the ones that do take place happen at higher speeds and are much more serious.
On top of that, a lot of rural accidents are relatively remote. It can take time for first responders to get to the crash scene. There is a major delay before the patient is taken to the hospital. All of this increases the odds that they could pass away from their injuries, when they may have survived if they were in the city and much closer to the hospital.
Accidents can happen on any type of road, and it is important to be aware of your risks. You also need to know what legal steps to take if another driver caused the crash.