Roundabouts: Georgia Car Collision Avoidance Via Safer Road Design

Traffic safety has many dimensions including roadway design and construction. While improvements in vehicle safety equipment has gone a long way to reduce the frequency and seriousness of Atlanta car accidents, the issue of motor vehicle safety can also be confronted by innovations in roadway design.

One roadway design feature that can make Atlanta streets safer is the increasing use of roundabouts. A recent report by the Georgia Department of Transportation carefully analyzed the potential safety benefits associated by wider use of roundabouts.

The analysis showed that roundabouts are substantially safer than intersections controlled by traffic signals and they are more efficient. A roundabout is a circulatory road along which traffic travels around a central island in a counterclockwise direction. A roundabout has 75 percent fewer conflict points that generally result in an Atlanta car accident. An intersection has 32 conflict points whereas a roundabout has merely 8 conflict points. Data provided by National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), which conducts research in problem areas that affect highway planning, design and construction collected data based on 55 roundabouts in the U.S. The safety improvement resulting from using roundabouts was staggering:

• There was a 35 percent reduction in the total number of auto collisions.
• Roundabouts resulted in an 81 percent reduction in fatal or incapacitating crashes in urban areas
• Rural areas saw a 71 percent reduction in fatal or incapacitating car accidents.
• Overall roundabouts resulted in a 76 percent decrease in car accident injuries.

The results of studies regarding the safety advantages of roundabouts is so overwhelming that the federal government has recommended that states consider roundabout in all new road construction projects or intersections being repaired where federal funds will be utilized. The results of the NCHRP study clearly illustrate the substantial role that innovative roadway design can play in reducing both the frequency of Georgia auto accidents as well as resulting catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.

Despite the positive data, roundabouts are not an appropriate measure to prevent Georgia auto accident risks for all locations. Roundabouts are not appropriate if there is a very high volume of traffic entering an intersection or the percentage of traffic is too high on the major road. When located in the appropriate areas a growing number of states including Georgia are discovering that roundabouts can prevent auto collision-related injuries and fatalities.

The experienced Atlanta car collision attorneys at Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, are committed to the safety of drivers in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. We recognize that making our streets and highways safer may be achieved by improvements in roadway design and maintenance. Our Atlanta car collision lawyers are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.