New York City wrongful death lawyers represent families in the devastating aftermath of fatal auto accidents. Attorneys provide help to families in recovering compensation for the wrongful death, including economic and non-financial loss. This compensation can be obtained from those who caused the fatal collision to happen. Unfortunately, when a loved one has been lost in a car crash, there is no way that victim or his surviving family can ever truly be made whole again. Prevention of fatal accidents is of vital importance to spare more families the pain of a collision-related death. The Independent suggests that simple redesigns of roadways could make a big difference in reducing the number of motor vehicle accident fatalities that occur. If changing the way roads are designed actually makes a substantial difference in keeping more people safe from deadly crashes, as evidence suggests, roads should generally be designed in such a way as to promote safety and prevent harm to motorists.
Can Making Road Design Improvements Reduce Deaths in Auto Accidents?
The Independent’s report on road re-designs that could save lives is based on an AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety infrastructure report that was recently published. The AAA research found that approximately $146 billion would be needed to invest in making roads throughout the U.S. safer by putting six effective improvements in place. These key improvements that AAA Foundation suggested include:
- Changing certain dangerous intersections to roundabouts instead of keeping the roads as a traditional four-way intersection.
- Installing barriers on roadsides and removing objects currently located on the side of the road.
- Adding pedestrian crossings with traffic signals to the majority of roads throughout the United States.
- Adding sidewalks for pedestrians on the majority of U.S. roads.
- Putting median barriers in the center of divided highways where there is currently no barrier.
- Installing rumble strips which alert drivers that they may be straying off the road and/or out of their lane. These can be especially helpful for combating the problem of drowsy driving, as drivers are alerted to the fact they have fallen asleep by the rumble strips.
- Paving road shoulders and making road shoulders wider.
These recommended improvements could make a huge difference in keeping more people safe from harm. AAA Foundation indicates that over 20 years, 353,560 serious injuries would be prevented and 63,700 lives could be saved. AAA Foundation recommends that local governments begin implementing these suggestions, at least in the areas where there are high levels of accidents and which should be a priority for change, even if the $146 billion price-tag is too high for state and local governments to make all of the changes to U.S. roads all at once. States are advised to prioritize safer designs of highways, to align improvements with priority needs, and to aggressively fund ongoing road debris cleanup. New York City wrongful death lawyers can help victims of accidents that occur on any road, with the goal of recovering compensation from those responsible for causing collisions. Give Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff a call today to find out how our firm can help.