Drayton D. Berkley Trucking Accidents Law Blog on Lawyers.com

What makes a road dangerous? A combination of factors, any one of which can change the safety of a road.

First, there is weather. Rain, snow, sleet, ice, fog – all can contribute to extremely dangerous road conditions, no matter what the road. Second, and closely aligned with the first, are the drivers who do not take the weather into account when they drive. Drivers who do not slow down in snow or fog, ice or rain, all make the road they travel more hazardous for every driver on that road. Any road is a dangerous road when weather conditions are bad, and any road is made more dangerous by drivers who do not take the weather conditions into account.

Second, there are drivers who believe that the speed limits are posted for other people, and drive accordingly. We all know someone who believes that he or she is a better driver than almost everyone else on the road – and we know how dangerous that can be.

Third, two lane roads are inherently dangerous because there is no barrier between oncoming cars. Fatigued or distracted drivers can veer into the other lane, and particularly where visibility is limited or shoulders narrow, there is no escape option for the other driver. Roads with many curves result in limited sight distances for drivers, so that reaction time may be too short to compensate for a driver in the wrong lane. Roads with many intersections are also dangerous, particularly at night when drivers may miss traffic signs or not see vehicles coming through an intersection until it is too late.

And then there are the roads with the highest percentage of accidents. I-40 is Tennessee’s deadliest highway, with an average fatality rate of 60 people each year for the past three years. Highway 62 in Morgan County averages two fatalities a year, and Highway 63 had six fatalities over the past three years. There are a number of factors blamed for the high rate of fatalities, but one factor remains at the core of them all: driver negligence. Whether the driver was fatigued, distracted, driving under the influence, ignoring traffic signs or weather conditions, speeding, or running a red light – any one of these factors makes a road the most dangerous road for other drivers.

This article is provided by the experienced Greeneville truc k accident attorneys in Tennessee at the Berkley Law Firm PLLC, 877.224.1131, www.berkleytruckinglaw.com.