Study: Road Improvements Could Save Thousands Of Lives
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A new report claims that making just a few road improvements would save a lot of lives in Texas and across the country.
The report, done by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said that over a 20-year period road improvements could save some 64,000 lives and prevent an estimated 350,000 serious injuries.
The top recommendation in the study, turning busy intersections into roundabouts, could reduce accidents by almost 30-percent. AAA spokesperson Sarah Schimmer said, "The reason that they're suggesting a roundabout or clearly marked pedestrian crossings [is because] those are less expensive than say installing a signal. These are safe options that can be implemented into a public works type programming situation."
The study suggests some other crucial road improvements include -
- Installing roadside barriers
- Installing median barriers on divided highways
- Installing median barriers on divided highways
- Paving and widening shoulders
According to Schimmer, some of the low-cost improvements could be easily implemented across the country. "A regional transportation body can look at the 'big picture' for an entire region, like North Texas, to see if there are places that might be higher in the queue in terms of collected data about any kind of injuries or deaths."
Among developed countries, the United States ranks nearly last in terms of annual traffic fatalities per 100,000 population. Here in the U.S., 10.6 of every 100,000 Americans die in traffic fatalities.
