Rural roads cover much of Indiana and Illinois. According to the National Association of Counties, 82% of all county-run roads in the Hoosier State are rural roads, compared to 14% of Illinois county roadways. However, total rural road mileage is higher in Illinois than Indiana.
There are over 74,471 total miles of rural roads in the State of Indiana. Illinois rural roads cover over 98,594 miles.
The risk of a deadly motor vehicle accident is much higher for anyone driving a rural route. As discussed in our prior post, you face a TEN TIMES greater risk of a fatal crash on a rural road.
Federal Rural Road Accident Safety Program
The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) recognizes that rural road safety must be addressed in this country. According to FHA statistics, the fatality rate for rural road accidents is 2.4 times greater than accidents in urban areas.
According to the FHA, one way to lower this risk of a deadly rural road crash is to provide more funding and resources to rural areas. In response, the FHA Local and Rural Safety Program provides assistance to local governments to improve rural road safety.
National Summit of Rural Road Safety: December 2018
Next week, safety advocates will attend the National Summit on Rural Road Safety in Savannah, Georgia. Experts will address a variety of issues that governments can adopt to make rural roads safer, including things like making rural road designs less dangerous:
On rural roads, there is an increased risk of a fatal crash due to running off the road as it curves. This is called a “roadway departure crash,” and risk factors for these curve-crashes include a curve radius of less than 1000 feet; a visual trap at the curve; and an intersection within the curve.
At this year’s Rural Road Safety Summit, the goal will be to increase public and private awareness of the rural roads as well as finding ways to gather support (financially and otherwise) for local governments to increase rural safety.
There is a recognized problem in both government officials as well as transportation specialists considering traffic safety and planning through an “urban lens.” One of the purposes of this year’s summit will be to try and change this perception, creating “rural-specific solutions” that can be implemented “within rural constraints.”
Rural Road Accident Safety Measures
The National Center for Rural Road Safety recognizes the complexities involved in making rural roads safer. It delineates safety concerns that must be addressed by local authorities as well as those engineers, contractors, railway design professionals, and others involved in the design, implementation and management of rural roadways.
The Distinctive Dangers of Driving on a Rural Road
Many different and unique roadway factors contribute to fatal rural road crashes. Safety measures must adapt to these characteristics of the rural road that are not faced in urban areas. From the NCRRS, these include:
- Animals are more likely to be on a rural roadway (animal-vehicle collisions);
- Highway-rail grade crossings in rural areas may only be indicated by an “X” shaped sign called a “crossbuck” which are hard for rural drivers to see, particularly at dusk or after dark;
- Intersections on rural roads may have little if any lighting or signage;
- Intersection signage may not be maintained (overgrown, signs fall or are removed, etc.)
- Not all rural roads are properly paved (some are pot-holed, some have faded lane stripes, some veer into gravel, etc.)
- Rural roads are particularly dangerous for pedestrians and school children who are not easily seen and may be walking on the roadside given there are no sidewalks on most rural routes;
- Winter weather makes rural roads even more treacherous than urban streets and freeways because there is less chance of maintenance teams promptly taking care of hazardous weather conditions like ice and snow (rural roads will not see snow plows like urban streets);
- Greater time and distance needed to respond and treat the rural road crash victim increases the likelihood of fatality (both EMS arrival and transport to nearest trauma center or emergency room).
When an Indiana or Illinois Rural Road Accident Leads to Serious Injury or Death
Given the greater risk of a severe or deadly crash on a rural road in our part of the country, it is vital that our local authorities as well as others who contribute to rural road creation and maintenance appreciate the efforts of this National Summit and begin to take steps to solve this problem.
Crashes on rural roads are particularly dangerous because they are all too often the cause of accident victims dying at the scene or later at the hospital as they succumb to overwhelming bodily injuries. Those who survive a rural road accident are likely to face permanent disabilities from life-altering injuries that include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, the loss of a limb, or permanent scarring and internal damage from burns.
Those who may be legally liable for these accidents include not only the negligent driver who caused the crash, but third parties whose actions (or inaction) contributed to the incident:
- Did the railroad company know the sign was down but procrastinate on replacing it, since it was a rural road?
- Did the local government or contracting company understand that the railings were loose or the roadside was overgrown and compromised visibility and yet they did nothing because it was in a rural area?
Rural road accident victims and their loved ones may be able to seek justice from a variety of defendants in the aftermath of a serious or deadly rural road accident. Personal injury damages (medical expenses, long term therapy treatments, pain and suffering, etc.) as well as wrongful death claims may be sought.
If you or a loved one drives along any one of our many rural roads here in Indiana and Illinois, please take special care to avoid an accident. The danger of a rural road accident is high. Please be careful out there!
