highway deaths — Blog — Sage Perspectives Blog

How do the geometric characteristics of horizontal curves on rural highways affect the likelihood of traffic crashes?

Did you know that fatal crash rates on curved road segments are approximately three times higher than those occurring on straight segments? Data shows that more than 25 percent of fatal crashes are found to be associated with horizontal curves and the majority of fatal crashes occur on two-lane highways with almost twice fatality rate on rural highways compared to its urban counterpart. Unfortunately, there are very few studies on the safety performance of horizontal curves, especially on rural county highways.

ResearchWehida NiaziMarch 20, 2024highway deaths, Traffic, car crashes

Misaligned Time Zones Linked to Highway Deaths

More people die in auto accidents if they live in the “wrong time zone,” according to new research published in Time & Society. Erratically-drawn time zones in the U.S. may be to blame.

Over twelve years of data, our research team found a 21.8% higher vehicle-fatality rate (VFR) in U.S. counties where the clock says 12 pm well before “high noon.” More than 53 million Americans live in these “eccentric time localities” (ETLs), where social time is severed from solar time.

Editor's Picks, ResearchMoazzma ArshadJune 20, 2022time zones, highway deaths, traffic fatalities