Interestingly, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation keeps a record of car accidents. Specifically, PennDOT keeps track of each accident that happens and where and when it occurs.
But what is the benefit of recording this information? PennDOT actually uses the data to determine which roads in Pennsylvania are the most dangerous and whether there are any trends as to why certain roads see more crashes than others.
According to the PennDOT high-crash roadways report, there are a few roads in Pittsburgh that make the list as some of the more dangerous in the state, including:
- Constitution Boulevard – 37 crashes, five fatal within 5 years
- Frankstown Road – 163 crashes within 5 years
- Penn Avenue – 196 crashes within 5 years
- Route 22 – 157 crashes within 5 years
PennDOT distinguishes between roads that are considered dangerous and roads that have a high number of crashes recorded. While the two may be correlated, roads with fewer crashes can be considered more dangerous if there are more fatalities reported. Frankstown Road, the 13th dangerous road in the state, had 5 fatalities in the past 5 years.
By studying this information, PennDOT engineers can determine whether there are any road hazards that need to be fixed or any counter measures that can minimize the chance of an accident and make the roads a little safer for drivers.
But even with these types of changes, car accidents will still likely occur because of negligent or distracted drivers. Drivers who cause car crashes can cause a lot of harm and injury; accident victims may find themselves dealing with growing medical bills while trying to recover from a crash. They can seek compensation from a negligent party – compensation can help with some of those unexpected financial challenges that arise.
Source: WPXI-TV Pittsburgh: “Target 11: Pittsburgh’s Most Dangerous Roads,” Aug. 22, 2011.