There are a lot of factors that go into whether or not a car crash will be fatal. Speed is a big one, as faster crashes carry greater risks. Seat belt use also makes a major difference, as does the age of the vehicles involved.
One thing you really want to consider, though, is what type of road you’re driving on and where it is located. Statistics show that this can drastically change the odds of death in a crash.
The greatest danger is on rural roads
What studies have found is that fatal accidents tend to happen more on rural roads than on city streets. There is more traffic in the city, and there are more crashes overall. But when you look at the percentage of deadly crashes, they are higher on the rural roads.
As noted above, speed matters, and it’s a big reason that these rural crashes are more dangerous. Speeding is common, even on some of the winding and steep roads in rural West Virginia. Crashes can involve cars going 60 mph and above, something that is very uncommon and almost always illegal in the city.
Plus, rural accidents tend to be farther from rescue help. When it takes the ambulance 10 minutes to get to the crash site and another 10 to get back to the hospital, an injured person has to survive for 20 extra minutes compared to a crash nearer to the hospital. With serious accidents, every minute counts.
Have you lost a loved one in a collision?
If you lost a loved one in a crash they did not cause, you may be able to seek compensation for lost wages, loss of companionship, funeral costs, medical bills and much more.
