Car crashes are disproportionately high in rural parts of Texas, California and Arizona, according to a recent report by TRIP, a national non-profit research group.
Traffic crashes and fatalities on Arizona’s rural roads occur at a rate nearly three times higher than on all other roads. Frank Moretti, TRIP’s director of research and policy, said rural roads and bridges aren’t safe enough to handle the ever increasing levels of cars and trucks.
“In many cases a lot of these rural roads that were very lightly used are starting to get significant use," Moretti said in a news conference Thursday. "And, quite candidly, they’re not able to accommodate that kind of wear and tear.”
Rural areas are more dependent on federal transportation funding to fix its roads. The TRIP report suggests adopting federal transportation policies that will add, widen and improve rural road conditions.
