The recent tractor trailer accident on December 22, 2016 near exit 29 left traffic backed up for hours - and made us think about a decade-old dispute about the dangers of the infamous Pawtucket and Providence I-95 S-Curves. It also motivated us to remind those who drive this highway system to practice safe driving and be especially wary of other motorists.
It Only Takes One Car
Although reflective traffic signs have been installed at the I-95 S-Curves, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) found in a 2007-2009 data report that out of 286 car accidents, 163 were found to be related to sharp highway curves. More alarming, RIDOT found that 76% of these crashes on the I-95 S-Curves occurred when there had been a recent rain or snow storm, with almost all of these involving just one vehicle which “failed to navigate the curves safely.”
Rated Most Dangerous Roads
Both GoLocal and GoInsuranceRates.com rated this section of highway in their “Top 10 Most Dangerous Roads for Car Accidents.” GoLocalProv had the I-95 S Curve as their #1 most dangerous road to drive on in Rhode Island. Using 2014 data, 191 total accidents took place in this location, with two becoming fatal, and an additional 55 crashes involving accidents that resulted in injuries. GoInsuranceRates held that this section of I-95 was the #10 most dangerous road in America in 2012.
Attorney Opinion
"Most people do not realize that the most dangerous thing that they will ever do is to get behind the wheel of a car,” said Attorney Paul d’Oliveira, Founding Attorney of d’Oliveira & Associates. He continued by saying that, “Many accidents could be prevented if people really understood how dangerous it is to drive a car."