Risk InfoCenter: Intersection Perspective
Intersection Perspective
Released February 2008
DriveCam experts analyzed events in the Risk InfoCenter to determine the root causes of intersection collisions and help prevent them. Despite improved intersection design and more sophisticated applications of traffic engineering measures, intersection crashes continue to account for 48 percent of injury-related accidents and generate $101 billion of societal costs each year (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
“The area in and around intersections is more prone to crashes because many vehicles are crossing paths at the same time and there often are abrupt changes in speed and direction,” said Del Lisk, vice president of safety services at DriveCam. “Fortunately, analysis of our data of incidents at intersections clearly reveals that drivers can protect themselves simply by remembering and applying fundamental driving skills.”
Risk InfoCenter analysis of intersection collisions reveals that more than 75 percent could have been avoided if drivers were more visually attentive and applied the fundamental driving rules of looking left-right-left, looking farther ahead and coming to a complete stop at red lights and stop signs, as well as looking before proceeding through intersections.
As the following chart illustrates, 39 percent of drivers involved in intersection incidents did not look left-right-left, one of the first lessons taught in driver education courses. Ten percent did not stop at a red light and six percent did not come to a complete stop at a stop sign and look before crossing the intersection.
“Looking left-right-left, coming to complete stops at red lights and looking before crossing intersections are driving fundamentals that should be part of every driver’s skillset, but often these are overlooked because we travel through intersections everyday and nothing bad happens to us. Subconsciously, this is reinforcing our bad habits,” added Lisk. “Coaching drivers to be more visually attentive is key to reducing intersection collisions.”
DriveCam has compiled five million events in the Risk InfoCenter repository to date and this number is increasing by more than 600,000 total events per month. With an ever-growing knowledgebase of data, DriveCam will continue to release its unique perspective on risky driving each month.