Does Urban Sprawl Influence Car Accidents?
A new study titled “Measuring Sprawl 2014” finds that those living in highly populated areas reap many benefits including longevity, better health status, and more economic mobility. The study scored urban sprawl throughout 221 metropolitan locations and found that among other indicators, city dwellers were less likely to die in car accidents.
Using scores developed out of factors like proximity to business and people, the size of local street networks, the land use mix, and development density, researchers compared that data with quality of life measures like chronic disease, safety, obesity, and the cost of living.
Living in the city showed promising results for helping people succeed in life: every 10 percent increase in density was connected to a 4.1 percent increase in the chance that children born in the lowest part of the nationwide income distribution would move up the ranks to the top 20 percent by age 30.
More densely populated cities had more car accidents overall, but the number of fatalities from those accidents were lower. Many people in cities rely on public transportation, biking, or walking to get to their locations, limiting the number of cars on congested urban roads.
The gap in longevity between more populated and less populated areas was also partially attributed to less driving in urban locations.
One growing trend that does put people at higher risk of being involved in an accident is increased reliance on bikes. More cities and suburban areas are adopting bike lanes, but changes in traffic and behavior often mean a period of adjustment before drivers, bikers, and pedestrians can all share common areas.
If you have been involved in a car accident, your first priority should be to get medical treatment. Serious and chronic injuries may affect you for the remainder of your life. Contact a Texas personal injury attorney today for legal representation.
