Deadly crash rate higher on rural roads in southeast states
ATLANTA Tree-lined rural roads could be why the Southeast has the highest number of fatal auto crashes in the country. According to a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology, the region had more than a-quarter of the U-S vehicle deaths between 1996 and 2000.
The researchers cite hazards on rural roads like trees that are close to travel lanes and unpaved shoulders.
The study, which looked at eight states, recommends better road maintenance along country roads, the creation of buffer areas to protect drivers from trees, and rumble strips that make a loud noise when a motorist veers out of lane.
Researchers say most of the wrecks involved tired or drunk drivers late at night.
There were more than 55-thousand fatal crashes in the period studied in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee
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