Georgia Injury Law Blog
Forbes Magazine this year ranked Atlanta as the worst city in the United States for daily commuting.Detroit and Miami trailed in second and third place positions, respectively. Of course, for those of who must regularly drive in the daily grind, this comes as no great surprise.An influx of population, a poor infrastructure and drivers who resist carpools and public transportation are a few of the reasons why Atlanta won the award.
Collecting data from the Texas Transportation Institute and the US Census Bureau, Forbes evaluated traffic delays, travel times, and commuters’ efficient use of existing infrastructure.In Atlanta, more commuters flood the roadways than the infrastructure can handle and this causes congestion in many areas.Commuters spend an average of sixty hours a year stuck in traffic.
Thanks to increasing urban and suburban sprawl, fewer than thirty percent of drivers get to work in less than twenty minutes.Nearly thirteen percent of drivers spend more than an hour traveling to and from work.In addition to sprawl, the train system in metro Atlanta does not service the entire city.Thus, many commuters have no choice but to drive on increasingly congested roads.While sprawl increases drive times, it does lower housing costs.In order to decrease drive times, commuters would have to move closer into the city where housing costs are more expensive and can be prohibitive.
And as luck would have it, this year Atlanta was also voted the sixth least courteous city for driving as well.If you think about it, these two awards probably go hand in hand.The more time we are forced to spend in our cars, then the more frustrated we are going to become.
According to AutoVantage, an automobile club, Atlanta commuters drive too fast, tailgate, make cell phone calls while driving and often give obscene hand gestures to other motorists.
What does all this mean to those of us who call Atlanta home or the few who simply must drive through the city occasionally?Watch out.
The World Health Organization estimates that every year 1.2 million people die in car accidents.In the United States, that number is just under 50,000 deaths a year from car accidents.Statistically, your chances of being in a motor vehicle collision increase in cities like Atlanta with a large number of drivers – particularly those who have become frustrated or enraged by driving conditions.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident, then contact the law firm of Robert N. Katz for a free, private consultation.