Rural Roads and Safety

27 Jan Rural Roads and Safety

There is no shortage of rural roads to drive on in Texas. They’re some of the most enjoyable places to cruise around and they have some of the best scenery anywhere. You do have to be careful, however. You can be careful and still enjoy the scenery, but awareness of some common hazards will help you to stay safe out there.

Rural roads aren’t always maintained as well as are city roads. When a Dallas car accident occurs, it’s almost never because a huge pothole had developed or because a culvert was sticking above the surface of the road. This is fairly common on rural highways, however. Keep your eyes on the road and don’t drive too fast for the surface. If you’re looking at miles of straightway on a rural road, it doesn’t mean that it’s suitable for high-speed driving. In fact, there may be the types of bumps on the road that will wreck your car, and endanger your life.

Some rural roads are used by farmers to move equipment back and forth between fields. For drivers from cities, having slow-moving tractors all over the highway is sometimes extremely frustrating. Before you fly off the handle and start driving angry, remember a couple of things. One, tractors have a very wide rear wheel base. They can only move so far over to the right before they’ll be driving in the ditch, so you have to cut them some slack about taking up the road. Two, the people driving them are working. You may be enjoying a lazy Sunday drive through the countryside, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not in a work zone. Be aware that farmers need to use these roads for their livelihoods and that it’s really a question of them accommodating you rather than you accommodating them.

If you’re injured by someone driving these roads dangerously, talk to a car accident lawyer. People on rural roads, because there is seldom heavy traffic and, of course, because there are seldom patrols on these roads, tend to drive fast. They also tend to cross lanes, cut corners and engage in all other types of horrible and dangerous driving. Be ready for this and be ready for the unexpected. Mostly, however, be ready to be grateful that you have places to drive that can get you out of the city for a while!