Intersections are one of the most dangerous spots on any road. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has determined that “More than 50 percent of the combined total of fatal and injury crashes occur at or near intersections.” Speeding and reckless driving vastly increase the risk of a crash wherever motorists engage in these behaviors. When they take place at an intersection, the risks to everyone near that site increase significantly.
That is a concern some Greensboro residents have been bringing up with local councilors for some time, and not without reason.
A particularly scary spot in town
For example, the Randleman Road and Meadowview Road intersection has a 35 mph speed limit. Yet, residents claim many people are going way faster. A news crew took speed guns to the site and found many speeding drivers, with the fastest one they clocked traveling at 47mph.
Sadly, the residents’ concerns have not been addressed sufficiently enough to prevent tragedy from striking. Earlier this month, an allegedly reckless driver killed someone who was traveling as a passenger in a vehicle near the intersection. Residents are not surprised, as many of them have already had their mailboxes or fences knocked down by irresponsible drivers going too fast along the road.
Police say the driver that killed the passenger also jumped a red light, contributing to many residents’ opinion that drivers do not respect the laws on this stretch of road and do not show due concern for those who live there. Suggestions to improve safety by putting cameras on the lights, extending the duration of the yellow light or adding more streetlights have so far not been implemented. Until they are, you need to take extra care when around this interaction lest someone else who is not taking sufficient care injures you in a crash.
