Analysis spotlights Westmoreland County’s most accident-prone roads
Given the state highway's frequently heavy traffic and numerous uncontrolled intersections as it crosses the county east and west, that's not much of a surprise. Less obvious, a Tribune-Review analysis found, is the roadway with the second-highest count:
Where it passes through business districts, accidents tend to congregate at intersections. But as 981 stretches past the
"It always has been dangerous," said
Urban, rural factor
From 2012 through 2016,
Roads with the most accidents don't always turn out to be the ones with the most severe accidents.
The stretch of the
With 1,960 accidents and 55 severe accidents in the five-year period,
"I think you would find that to be a consistent pattern nationally," said
Interstates and other controlled-access roads tend to be the safest roads while rural, two-lane roads are among the most dangerous, he said.
Two-lane roads carry the risk of a vehicle crossing the center line and hitting another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.
"Head-on crashes tend to be severe crashes and also the run-off-the-road crashes tend to be severe," he said.
Off-road accidents often are severe because vehicles tend to roll over and can strike stationary objects such as trees or utility poles.
"Half of the fatal crashes on all kinds of roads are single-vehicle crashes," Rader said. "Many of those are going to be alcohol-impaired crashes."
Rural two-lane roads tend to have higher speed limits than urban two-lane roads, which increases their hazard, he said.
Fewer fatalities
For the past four decades, fatal crashes have been on a decline because of improved vehicle safety and states' enforcement of seat-belt laws and tougher drunken-driving limits, Rader said.
The improvements include cars designed to better protect people during crashes as well as technology that helps avoid crashes, he said.
The financial recession caused a larger dip in fatalities as people limited discretionary driving. The lowest figure was in 2011 with 32,479 deaths from 29,867 crashes.
With the economy recovering, people are taking more "long trips on unfamiliar roads" and fatalities have increased, he said. The latest figures, for 2015, counted 35,092 deaths from 32,166 crashes.
Road upgrades help
Road improvements also play a role in reducing crashes, Rader said.
PennDOT replaced a troublesome dogleg intersection on 981 in
The roundabout is part of a
"It's probably going to cut down on the number of accidents,"
The intersection between 30 and 981 had similar problems, but PennDOT upgraded it several years ago to include dual turning lanes and synchronized traffic signals and accidents decreased, he said.
PennDOT declined to comment on the Trib's analysis but did provide a list of projects for roads the newspaper identified as having the highest number of severe accidents.
Most of the projects involve resurfacing roads and improving bridges, but one is listed as a corridor safety improvement for the stretch of 981 between
Speed factor
On the northern end of 981, drivers are more of the problem than the road, said people who are familiar with that stretch.
"They're going too fast; they lose control on the curve," said Redemer of
Another curve just north of the restaurant also is a frequent accident spot for the same reason, said
Some motorists drive off the road. Others cross the centerline and collide with vehicles going the other direction. It's hard to tell which happens more often, Redemer said. At night, a third likely possibility is a car hitting a deer, she said.
"When I leave work at night, I'm always cautious," Edge said.
"Nine times out of 10, it's the S-bends," Cerra said.
Another trouble area is where 981 intersects with
"There's not much room on either side of the road," he said. "I don't like driving it myself, I can tell you that. I stay away from it."
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