Questions regarding road safety in Pennsylvania abound after several deaths along a rural route in the recent future. The tragic February 1, 2012 deaths of two men in an auto accident along Route 329, also known as Old Post Road, are under investigation, but here are the facts known up to this point.
According to The Morning Call, one of the men involved in the fatal motor vehicle accident was driving eastbound when he lost control of his vehicle at a curve in the road. The vehicle veered into the westbound lane, and the man was ejected after a head-on collision with the other man's vehicle. The other vehicle went off the road, over an embankment, and caught fire. Both drivers died at the scene of the crash.
The official cause of the accident has not been announced. The area, however, is notorious for its winding and sharply curving roads, mountainous terrain and oddly angled intersections, according to the Call. Besides the geographical layout of the land, speeding is to blame for many of the region's accidents. According to the Call, an estimated 80 percent of traffic accidents are caused by behavioral factors, including:
- Aggressive driving
- DUI
- Driver error
- Driver distraction
Some of the state's rural roads were carved out long before modern planning or traffic engineering. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has made many safety improvements to Old Post Road in the last few years, but the hazardous nature of the area still contributes to too many accidents.
Source: The Morning Call, "Route 329: Dangerous road, or dangerous driving?" Dan Hartzell, Feb. 9, 2012