Are Auto Accidents More Common in Rural or Urban Areas?

If you’re like most drivers, you travel the same routes on a regular basis. You know the route to and from work like the back of your hand, and you can probably get to your favorite restaurants and stores without GPS. You should also know that where you drive has a dramatic effect on the likelihood of being involved in a car accident.

Learn more about the differences between rural accident rates and urban accident rates, as well as what these differences mean for you. If you’ve been hurt in a crash and you’re ready to start your claim, call Nowell Law Firm at 864-469-2481 to set up a consultation with our team of Spartanburg personal injury lawyers.

What the Statistics Say

This particular topic is an area of great interest among researchers, so there is a lot of data available. One source of data is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They report that there were 38,824 fatal car accidents in the United States in 2020. Of those, 43% or 16,665 were in rural areas. Urban areas saw 21,650 or 56% of those collisions.

On its face, this data makes it look like urban areas are significantly more dangerous than rural areas. But if you break down the numbers further, they paint a different picture. While rural regions account for 43% of fatal crashes, they are only home to 19% of the U.S. population and 31% of the total miles traveled across the country.

According to the raw numbers, rural roads are less likely to see a fatal crash than urban roads. But when you run the numbers in comparison to other important statistics, you’ll see that the average rural driver is more likely to be involved in a collision than the average urban driver.

There are some sad similarities between rural and urban collisions. Speed and impaired driving are major contributing factors in both settings, and failure to use safety restraints is a common factor in urban and rural fatalities.

Factors Contributing to Rural and Urban Crashes

Traffic is a major issue in urban areas. Dense traffic causes a significant amount of minor accidents in urban areas, and frustrated or aggressive drivers cause a substantial amount of major crashes.

While rural areas are not known for the dense traffic found in urban areas or the resulting aggression that comes with it, they have their own issues. Rural roads are often poorly maintained, thanks to less tax money going to these regions. Additionally, rural areas aren’t as heavily traveled by emergency personnel. Emergency personnel stay close to where accidents are likely to occur, so they are often much closer to urban crashes than rural ones. In serious crashes, every minute matters—and that is disastrous for rural drivers.

Another issue is the difficulty of getting help in rural areas. If you’re involved in a rural accident, it’s unlikely there will be a helpful bystander nearby to call the police, simply because these areas are so sparsely populated. This isn’t an issue if you are able to call 911 yourself, but if you are unconscious, you may wait a long time to get medical care.

Addressing Accident Outcome Disparities

Legislators and leaders are looking for ways to improve accident outcomes in rural areas. One solution being explored is investing more heavily in the upkeep of rural roads. Some areas also use safety cams and other forms of technology to catch accidents more quickly.

In some regions, speed limits have been lowered in order to decrease the number of severe accidents on rural roads. Public outreach efforts focus on emphasizing the importance of seatbelt usage in rural areas and promoting safe driving habits in rural communities. Together, these solutions may help decrease deaths on rural roads.

Injured in a Crash? Call Nowell Law Firm Today

No matter where you were injured, it is important to talk to a lawyer about your legal options after a crash. The team at Nowell Law Firm is here to discuss your accident and provide guidance as you seek compensation. Set up your free consultation right away—just call us at 864-469-2481 or reach out online.