Why Car Drivers Should Be Extra Careful at Intersections

Image source

Omaha is a growing city with busy streets and intersections that see thousands of cars, trucks, and motorcycles zipping through every single day. Some of these intersections, however, are danger zones.

Take, for example, the intersection of 132nd Street and Industrial Road. On the 20th of August, 2020, a tragic accident occurred there when a semi-trailer ran a red light and slammed into a motorcyclist.

Despite emergency responders arriving quickly, the motorcyclist lost his life, leaving him no opportunity to work with an Omaha car accident lawyer to seek justice and compensation. This was yet another example of reckless driving turning an intersection into a deadly trap.

Why Drivers Need to Be Careful at Intersections

Intersections are supposed to work like organized chaos where everyone follows the rules, and everything moves smoothly. But the problem is that some drivers ignore those rules.

It’s a chain reaction. A driver sees someone else make a reckless turn and assumes it’s okay. A truck driver, paid by the delivery, speeds through a light because stopping means falling behind schedule. Someone else, impatient at a stoplight, decides to gamble and go before it turns green. All these little choices will eventually lead to collisions.

Truck drivers are a big part of this problem. Because their paychecks often depend on how quickly they complete deliveries, many take risks that regular drivers don’t. They speed between stops, sometimes running lights or making risky turns just to stay on track.

Because a truck is a massive, heavy machine, it can cause catastrophic damage if it collides with a smaller car or motorcycle. When truck drivers prioritize speed over safety, everyone else on the road is put in danger.

Every truck driver, regardless of the size of their vehicle needs to be cautious of every factor that could possibly cause an accident. They need to be cause not to cause an accident and not to become a victim of one.

Omaha’s Most Dangerous Intersections

Omaha’s roads are filled with intersections that, statistically, see more crashes than others. These are high-traffic areas where people frequently make reckless decisions. Some of the worst include:

• 72nd St. and Dodge St.
• 72nd St. and Pacific St.
• Saddle Creek Rd. and Leavenworth St.
• 90th St. and Blondo St.
• 90th St. and Maple St.

These intersections aren’t just dangerous for drivers—they’re a nightmare for pedestrians and cyclists as well. With multiple lanes, high-speed traffic, and drivers who often fail to yield, crossing the street in these areas can feel like playing a game of chance.

Survey Results Show Drivers Feel Unsafe

A recent traffic safety survey in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area shed some light on just how dangerous the roads have become. Some key findings include:

• 65% of safety concerns reported were at intersections.
• 57% of participants said they feel unsafe while driving.
• 29% feel unsafe as pedestrians.
• 56% feel unsafe due to speeding.
• The most common concerns were driver behaviors like speeding, distracted driving, and running red lights.

Aside from the drivers themselves, pedestrians and cyclists feel the danger too. Some of the biggest complaints had to do with crosswalks, street widths, and drivers simply not slowing down.

Omaha’s intersections don’t have to be death traps, but that change starts with the drivers themselves. The question is: Will people start taking them seriously before the next tragedy happens?