WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Three Florida cities topped the list of U.S. communities with the most dangerous intersections, The Road Information Program said Tuesday.
The report also found the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas accounted for nearly 16,000 traffic fatalities annually -- 44 deaths per day -- and 38 percent of the 41,821 traffic fatalities that occurred in 2000, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.
Intersections in the Orlando, Fla., metro area had the most fatalities -- 18.8 per 100,000 population. Coming in second was Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., with 17.6, followed by West Palm Beach, Fla., 16.6; Austin, Texas, 15.8; Las Vegas, 15.4; Phoenix, 15.2; Memphis, Tenn., 14.7; Jacksonville, Fla., 14.6; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 14.5, and Kansas City, 14.2.
"We certainly were surprised to find five Florida cities in the top 10," spokesman Bill Outlaw said. "There are several factors contributing to this -- high population growth, high tourism rates, warm weather, which encourages people to drive more and contributes to tourism, and the number of older drivers."
The report found fatalities in urban areas are more likely to occur at lower speeds and involve pedestrians or bicyclists than are fatalities on rural roads.
"About 30 percent of traffic fatalities take place on routes with a speed limit of 55 mph or greater, compared with 70 percent in rural areas," Wilkins said. "In fact, 47 percent of urban traffic fatalities happened on routes where the speed limit was 40 mph or less."
The group recommends putting in medians, widening shoulders, repairing potholes, constructing turn lanes, reducing roadside hazards, modifying sign supports and keeping roads free of ice and snow to reduce fatalities. It also recommends installing pedestrian signals at intersections, installing bicycle lanes and installing sidewalks to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe.
