Keep in mind, when traveling by motor vehicle in Indiana and throughout the United States, that some sections of roadway are inherently more dangerous than others. For example, utmost alertness and caution are necessary whenever traffic from multiple directions merges. In fact, intersections are some of the most high-risk areas for collision.
As you travel to and from work or elsewhere in Indiana, you may often navigate signal-controlled intersections. That is, intersections controlled by traffic lights. You may, however, also encounter unsignalized intersections, which are where a collision may be more likely to occur.
Why is the risk of collision so high at unsignalized intersections?
Unsignalized intersections include crossroads marked by stop signs or yield signs. There are also many intersections that are totally uncontrolled, meaning they have no signage or signals to govern vehicular or pedestrian movement. It only takes a second for something to go wrong, which can cause a collision that results in severe, perhaps even fatal, injuries.
If you approach an intersection marked by a yield sign or stop sign, you, and any other motorists who happen to be there at the same time, must determine who should yield the right-of-way and who should proceed. If someone fails to stop at a stop sign or steps on the gas against a right-of-way, your uneventful commute to work or trip to the grocery store might involve a collision that lands you in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital for emergency care.
Wrong-way driving often begins at an intersection
Many serious car accidents occur in Indiana when vehicles are heading the wrong way on a road and collide head-on with other vehicles. This can happen at an intersection where there are one-way roads. If an intoxicated driver is not paying attention to road signs, he or she might turn the wrong way and drive straight into the front of an approaching vehicle.
Even at intersections controlled by traffic signals, disaster can strike if a motorist runs a red light or proceeds into a turn without clear visibility (such as if a large truck is obstructing a driver’s view). Driver negligence is often a key factor in an intersection collision that results in a fatality or severe injuries.
Recovering from an intersection collision
Whether you’re hit head-on, from the side (t-boned) or the rear, it’s imperative to obtain medical attention immediately following an intersection collision. If you suffer a concussion or other brain trauma, a broken bone, spinal cord damage or other severe injury, it will take weeks (or longer) to fully recover. If another driver’s negligence or recklessness was responsible for the incident, you have the right to seek restitution in court.