While living in Baltimore has many benefits, the high-traffic volumes increase your odds of getting in an accident.
According to data compiled by Daily Infographic, Baltimore ranked first among the cities with the most automobile accidents. Although avoiding one comes with no guarantee, knowing the top reasons may help you know what red flags to look for.
1. Driving over the speed limit
Since people could drive, speeding has come with the territory. No matter where you live, speeding often factors into any accident. Unfortunately, people feeling hurried ignore the speed limits designed to help ensure motorist safety. The faster you go, the harder it becomes to brake in time.
2. Giving into distractions
In this day and age, distractions happen for many reasons. The CDC categorizes distracted driving as cognitive, manual and visual. Cognitive relates to letting your mind wander from driving. Manual comes into play when taking your hands off the wheel, such as eating food or changing the radio station. A visual distraction means you visually focus on something other than the road and traffic around you. From cell phones to an accident on the side of the road, motorists face a barrage of potential distractions.
3. Navigating dangerous intersections
No matter how safely you drive, some intersections immediately increase your odds of something bad happening. Intersections with the most crashes include Gwynns Falls Parkway, Jones Falls Expressway, West Northern Parkway at Falls Road and I-95 exits, entrances and merging points. Heavy congestion at traffic lights, multiple lanes, truck traffic and more all contribute to making these hazardous driving locations.
Knowing what to watch out for can help keep you and your family safe on the road.