A recent study published in the The Annals of Emergency Medicine examined data from each county across the United States as well as over 1.2 million injury fatalities occurring between 1999 and 2006. The researchers found that car accidents, gun violence, and poisoning were the most common causes of injury deaths, but car accidents were far more common than any other fatality cause. As a result, residents of rural areas are 20% more likely to die due to accidental injury when compared with their city peers.
While most people think that cities are most dangerous, the study found that the opposite may be true. According to the researchers, rural residents are more likely to be in fatal car accidents. Part of the problem is that residents in these areas are more reliant on cars and drive over longer distances – and at faster speeds. In fact, rural two-lane highways have the highest rates of fatal collisions of all types of roadways across the country.
In the city, car accidents are also a problem. However, city residents are more likely to take public transit. While taxi accidents, train accidents, and bus accidents can still be an issue, they are far less common than collisions involving passenger cars. People who live in cities, according to researchers, also tend to take shorter trips, which can also reduce their risk of a collision. As a result, the risk of traffic accident fatalities is twice as high in rural areas compared to the largest cities.
While many people see gun violence as a problem largely in cities, the study published in The Annals of Emergency Medicine found that gun-related fatalities are not necessarily just an urban problem. Suicide using guns is more likely in rural areas while homicide is more of an issue among younger urban residents. Suburbs, according to the study, are somewhere in the middle when it comes to all the risks.
This means that in suburban areas such as Homestead, residents need to be aware that car accidents, violence, and other concerns are still a risk. Even if you don’t live in Miami and feel that you are safer because of it, keep in mind that there are no guarantees. Each year, car accidents in Homestead and other suburban cities cost lives and cause severe injuries to drivers, pedestrians, and passengers. No matter where you are driving and no matter where you live, it is important to stay safe. The personal injury attorneys at the Homestead offices of Flaxman Law Group as well as our other offices have seen firsthand the devastation that these injuries can cause.
If you need a personal injury attorney because you have been injured in a car accident or another type of incident, contact Flaxman Law Group for a no cost, no obligation case review. Your case may be worth more than you think. Our attorneys have more than 60 years of combined legal experience that can be put to work on your case. Our team has already recovered more than $100 million on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs.