California residents may have heard about how roundabouts may be safer than traditional intersections. A study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation found that there was an 86 percent reduction in fatal accidents at sites analyzed in the study. This was because there was no chance of a “T-bone” accident in which a vehicle was hit from the side by another vehicle.
Overall, MNDot looked at 144 intersections where roundabouts had been built. Another factor that reduced significant accidents was the fact that drivers had to slow down while entering the roundabout and had to travel in the same direction while using it. One of the drawbacks was that crashes resulting in property damage went up after a roundabout was put into place. Such crashes were up 75 percent in unbalanced roundabouts while they were up 200 percent in full dual roundabouts.
Of the sites that were studied, 104 had single lanes while 40 had multiple lanes. Only public sites that served large numbers of people were analyzed for the purposes of the study. Furthermore, 24 were located in a rural area while another 120 were in urban locations. According to the MNDot, the cost to put in a roundabout was roughly the same as putting in a traditional intersection with a traffic light.
Those who are hurt in a car crash may want to talk with an Northridge, California, auto accident attorney. Doing so may help an injured victim learn more about his or her rights. If negligence caused the accident to occur, it may be possible for the injured victim to obtain compensation for medical bills or medial bills. Negligence may have occurred if another driver was talking on a cellphone or ran a red light prior to colliding with the victim.