Rural Driving

Sixty-nine percent of Americans stated they felt safe on multi-lane freeways in urban areas, while seventy-nine percent felt safe on two-lane highways in rural areas. Thirty-eight percent stated they feel relaxed on rural highways and just nineteen percent feel relaxed on urban freeways. Among rural residents, sixty-nine percent felt relaxed on rural highways versus just thirteen percent who felt relaxed on urban freeways.

Among rural residents, forty-four percent said they feel safe using a cell phone on a rural highway versus fourteen percent who feel safe using a cell phone on an urban freeway. About half of Americans feel safe speeding on urban freeways (forty-seven percent), while thirty-three percent feel safe speeding on rural highways.

Fifty-one percent of drivers who felt safer on rural highways than urban freeways said they felt this way because there were just fewer things on the road to worry about - less traffic, less congestion, and fewer people. Thirty-one percent said it was because they felt comfortable in the area.

More than half of fatal crashes in the United States occur on rural roads. Twenty-three percent of Americans live in rural areas, but fifty-six percent of highway deaths occur on roads considered rural.

The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled is 2.6 times higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Crash victims are five to seven times more likely to die if arrival to a hospital exceeds 30 minutes. The time between a crash and arrival at a hospital averages 36 minutes in urban areas and 53 minutes in rural areas. In 2004, only thirty-five percent of rural passenger vehicle occupant fatalities were taken to a hospital. Fifty percent of crashes in urban areas reached a hospital and its potentially life-saving facilities. Fifty-seven percent of all alcohol-related fatalities involving passenger vehicles occur on rural roads.

Time and trauma is an important factor that is involved in life-saving techniques. Drive defensively and take a driving safety class like Comedy Driving Inc. Education is a way to be proactive with safety techniques and driving. This message was brought to you by www.comedydriving.com a defensive driving course in Texas.