Every car crash that causes personal injuries or fatalities is different. There are any number of factors that can contribute to the occurrence of a tragic crash; as personal injury attorneys, it’s our job to help our clients and their families receive the full compensation they deserve for another party’s negligence.
We’ve covered the fact that car accidents are to blame for most Hudson Valley accident deaths. We’ve shown that most fatal accidents happen on local highways. We’ve explored the most common factors that can cause car crashes in the Hudson Valley. We’ve explored the keys to winning a roadway defects personal injury case. Today, we’re going to look at the rural vs. urban dynamics in fatal crashes in the Hudson Valley.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Motor Vehicle Crash Data Querying and Reporting System:
- Between 2018 and 2020, there were a total of 193 fatal crashes in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties.
- There were 57 fatal crashes in rural areas and 135 in urban areas, for a total of 192 crashes
- There were 17 crashes on interstate highways like I-84 and I-87
- There were 14 crashes on freeways and expressways like the Taconic State Parkway, US-6 and NY-17
- There were 58 crashes on “principal arterial” roads, like Route 9, Route 9W, Route NY-208, Route 44/55, Route 299, and Route 209
- There were 28 crashes on “minor arterial” roads, like Route 32, Lucas Avenue in Kingston, Ulster Avenue, Blue Mountain Road, Route 9G, Route 52 in Walden, Violet Avenue in Poughkeepsie, or All Angels Hill Road in Poughkeepsie
- There were 47 crashes on “collector” roads like N. Oakwood Terrace in New Paltz, Overlook Road in Poughkeepsie, South Street in Newburgh, New Hackensack Road in Wappingers Falls, or Slate Quarry Road in Staatsburg
- There were 28 crashes on “local” roads like Fish Creek Road in Saugerties, Belvedere Road in Beacon, Merritt Avenue in Kingston, Clove Branch Road in Hopewell Junction, and Crescent Avenue in Highland
- 17 rural crashes took place on small local roads (the highest total for rural crashes), while 42 urban crashes took place on principal arterial roads (the highest total for urban crashes)
- 42% of fatal rural car crashes involved speeding, while only 28% of urban crashes did
- 20% of urban car crashes involved a pedestrian or cyclist, while 8% of rural crashes did
- 21% of rural crashes involved a tree, while 9% of urban crashes did
Many dynamics make highways safer than local roads. Although cars are driving at a much higher rate of speed, all of them are driving at roughly the same speed. Drivers don’t have to make as many decisions, and vehicles are further away from each other. There are no pedestrians and bicyclists on highways, and vehicles don’t have to share space with oncoming traffic.
On rural roads, some of the factors that we hear about from car crash victims include speeding, dangerous windy roads, impaired driving, and not wearing a seat belt.
No matter where you have been involved in a car crash caused by the negligence of another party, you can count on our experienced legal team to get you the maximum possible compensation for your injuries. We offer free consultations in Kingston, NY and Poughkeepsie, NY; call 845-600-0000 today.