Posted in Car Accident,Personal Injury,Tennessee Accident Law on October 13, 2016
8 Fatalities Reported on Stretch of US 41A Bypass in Clarksville Since 2014
Four people were killed in a head-on collision on US 41A Bypass in Montgomery County last Wednesday, bringing the total number of people who have been killed on that 2.7-mile stretch of road since Jan. 2014 to eight.
The Leaf-Chronicle reports that the most recent accident occurred near the scene of a crash that claimed the life of a Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy in 2014 and an intersection where two others were killed in 2014.
The bypass is part of Ashland City Road and is located between Cumberland Drive and Vista Lane. A woman who works near the area told reporters that there’s at least one accident on that stretch of road per week. She also said that she was involved in an accident on the bypass in April 2015 that totaled her vehicle.
The first four accidents that resulted in fatalities on the bypass since Jan. 2014 were either single-vehicle accidents or involved only a single fatality, while last Wednesday’s accident was the first to involve multiple deaths.
A spokesperson with the Clarksville Police Department told reporters that there was no one available to comment on whether the roadway was more dangerous than others in the city.
3 Tips for Dealing with Roadways where Accidents Frequently Occur
Whether the roadway is narrow, extremely congested, or dangerous during inclement weather, most drivers frequently encounter a stretch of street, highway, or interstate where accidents seem to occur at a higher volume than other roadways.
If your daily commute puts you on a roadway with frequent accidents, these three tips can help you reduce your risks:
Taking a detour or an alternate route away from the potentially dangerous stretch of road may add time to your commute, but it can lower your risk of being involved in a serious accident. The effectiveness of detours may also depend on the time of day, as certain roadways may be more dangerous in the morning compared to the afternoon and vice versa.
County and city officials want to keep their residents safe. Submitting reports about dangerous roadways due to blind curves, lack of traffic lights, improper speed limits, broken asphalt, and other defects and design issues can make a difference for yourself and for your neighbors. Use your county or city’s public works department website to either find a phone number or an online form where you can submit traffic issues to make your voice heard.
If you can’t detour around the dangerous stretch of road and there are currently no plans to address the issues causing the accidents, your best course of action is to simply drive as cautiously and safely as possible. That means always leaving plenty of distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you, avoiding distractions, and slowing down during inclement weather.
All roads have the potential to be dangerous when drivers exceed the speed limit, fail to slow down when navigating turns, and drive while intoxicated, impaired, or distracted. But there are several factors that can combine to make certain roadways more likely than others to cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles or be unable to see obstacles in their paths.
As a driver, it’s important to make sure your local public works department is aware of any major issues with a particular roadway, as repairs and revisions can go a long way towards making your commute safe for yourself and thousands of other drivers.
The Clarksville auto accident attorneys at Matt Hardin Law know that dangerous stretches of road are only one contributing factor to car accidents. The vast majority of collisions are caused by careless drivers. If you or someone you know was hurt in a car accident that was caused by a negligent, you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation. To speak with our legal team about your options, dial (931) 274-7788 or complete a free online consultation form.
