A new report out by USA Today doesn't have any surprises for Los Angeles car accident lawyers. According to the report, states with more urban roads are safer than those with a greater proportion of rural roads. The report analyzes states based on the total fatalities in 2009, as well as the accident death rate for every 100,000 population. California had 3,081 accidents in 2009, with a death rate of 8.3 for every 100,000 population.

California is not the most dangerous state in the country, but it is not the safest part of the country either. That honor goes to Washington DC and Massachusetts. Washington DC had 492 deaths in accidents in 2009, with a 7.4 death rate per 100,000 population. Massachusetts had 334 deaths in 2009, and a 5.1 death rate per 100,000 population. The conclusion to draw from the analysis is this - states that have more urban roads have lower speed limits, better designed roads, and easier access to emergency trauma care facilities. These states will have lower accident death rates compared to states that have more rural roads.

Rural roads suffer from a number of disadvantages. These tend to be poorly designed with two lanes, increasing the risk of an accident. Further, rural highways are less likely to come with dividers. A person involved in an accident on a rural street may not have easy access to trauma care facilities during the Golden Hour, or the first hour after the injury occurs. A person’s chances of surviving critical injuries increases if he is given emergency trauma care within the first hour. In rural areas, survivors wait more than an hour to reach the nearest trauma care center, and hence, the higher fatality rates. Besides, rural areas see more numbers of drunk driving accidents, and fewer sobriety checkpoints. There are also fewer crackdowns and lower seat belt use checks on rural roads.