Intersections are naturally dangerous areas where car accidents frequently occur for several reasons – let’s discuss why and where the most dangerous intersections are in Tampa. The most of the riskiest and busiest intersections in Tampa are all situated within a relatively close vicinity – all within a small 3-mile radius.
If you were injured in an accident at a dangerous Tampa intersection, our expert Tampa car accident lawyers are here to help you.
Why Are Intersections So Dangerous?
Intersections can get confusing for drivers and thus (along with other reasons) are accident-prone areas. It’s not just dangerous for drivers, it’s also dangerous for bicycle riders, pedestrians, and anyone else sharing the roadway or crosswalk. Here are a few other factors that make intersections particularly dangerous:
- Poor design
- Left turns
- Confusion about who has the right of way
- Multiple different directions of traffic
- Drivers running red lights or ignoring stop signs
- Poor judgment regarding the speed of oncoming traffic
- Pedestrians crossing the street
- Distracted drivers
With so many moving parts, designers and engineers have to take a lot into consideration when designing a safe and efficient intersection. Unfortunately, human error can’t be accounted for when designing an intersection, so even a well-designed intersection can be an accident pit due to erroneous driving maneuvers. In fact, an overwhelming majority of car accidents, especially at intersections, are due to driver error (about 90% according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration).
Safe driving requires a focused and attentive driver who knows how to take precautions and interact with other drivers in order to prevent accidents. As driving involves processing a lot of information at once, chaos can erupt in an instant due to a distraction or a driving mishap.
Drivers can easily become overwhelmed with information at intersections. Let’s say a driver is in an unfamiliar area and needs to make a turn, but first needs to move over several lanes. In such a situation, the driver could be so focused on figuring out how to get to their destination that they miss a traffic signal and cause a collision. Another common scenario is when drivers speed through a yellow light and hit another car making a turn. There are a lot of other different ways an accident can occur at an intersection, but those are the most common.
So the key takeaway from all of these contributing factors that make intersections dangerous is that drivers need to be aware of the rules of the road, educate themselves on where the hot spots are, and learn to use defensive driving skills. Expecting the unexpected is a crucial tool in avoiding motor vehicle collisions. Consistency in street design is also important to help drivers prevent accidents.
The Most Dangerous Intersections in Tampa (AKA the Hillsborough Triangle)
- Waters Avenue West and Sheldon Road Intersection
- This is a heavily congested intersection where over 100 accidents occur in Tampa annually. With many commercial businesses and shopping centers, traffic is consistently heavy at this intersection. When you add driver distraction into that mix, it can quickly become a hazardous area for auto collisions or other accidents, especially parking lot accidents.
Waters Avenue West and Anderson Road Intersection
Being that this intersection is loathed near a busy shopping center and a strip of restaurants, conference centers, hotels, and more, it’s a high-traffic area. The heavy congestion on a daily basis makes it a high-accident rate intersection.
Waters Avenue West and Hanley Road Intersection
The final dangerous intersection that constitutes the “Hillsborough Triangle” is the intersection at Waters Avenue West and Hanley Road (also known as Town N’ Country Center).
More Dangerous Intersections to Know About in Tampa
In addition to the “deadly hillsborough triangle” there are other intersections where a disproportionately high number of accidents occur. We’ll list them here so you can stay vigilant and take extra precautions to stay safe at these dangerous spots.
Himes Avenue North and Waters Avenue
Waters Avenue W and Himes Ave North is another dangerous intersection situated in the midst of a large shopping center and a densely populated apartment complex. With all the people who work and live there, heavy traffic is inevitable every day, filled with commuters, residents, shoppers, visitors, and more.
Fletcher Avenue East and Bruce B Downs Blvd
The intersection of Fletcher Ave E and Bruce B Downs Boulevard is located in a busy part of Tampa, near two major hospitals, a shopping center, and a college campus.
Other risky intersections where we see a high accident rate occur include:
- Providence Rd and Bloomingdale Avenue
- Bloomingdale Avenue and Bell Shoals Rd
- US 301 and Big Bend Rd
- US 301 and Gibsonton Dr
If possible, avoid these intersections by allowing yourself extra travel time to take a different route. If you have to pass through these intersections, just remember they are high-risk areas and to be extra cautious here.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Accidents at Tampa’s Most Dangerous Intersections?
While designers and engineers work strategically to create safe road designs, the greatest prevention tool to circumvent accidents is driver attentiveness and education.
Safe intersections have several features, such as:
- Alerts signaling to the driver that they are approaching an intersection
- Informative signs for drivers to safely follow routes
- warnings of any approaching turns
- Informative lane assignments
- Ample time for the driver to process and react to signs and signals
- Ensuring there are no obstructions or interferences at intersections (such as a tree hiding a traffic sign)
- Making sure the lighting on traffic signals are bright enough for drivers to see at any time of day
- Making pedestrian crosswalks safer using high-visibility markings or designating pedestrian islands
- Creating designated bike lanes to protect bicyclists and pedestrians from getting struck by motor vehicles, with ample space from car lanes
- Reducing speeds
- Encouraging drivers to follow the speed limit and adjust their speed when necessary
Again, competent and attentive drivers are the strongest measure to prevent accidents and decreasing human error can drastically reduce accident rates.
How Can a Lawyer Help Me if I Was Injured in a Tampa Intersection Accident?
Florida is a no-fault state, so initial damages up to a certain amount will be covered by your insurance company, even if the accident was the other person’s fault. However, even if it’s your own insurance company, all insurance companies’ main objective is to keep payouts as low as possible. Insurance companies aren’t motivated to compensate injury victims with tons of money because they want to keep their money.
Whatever the case, just keep in mind that insurance companies have their tried and true methods and strategies that they’ve curated to have injury victims walking away with less than they deserve.
But don’t get discouraged, because this is exactly what our job is as Tampa personal injury lawyers – to negotiate with insurance companies (amongst many other tasks) and ultimately win you the compensation you deserve.
By hiring an attorney, you have a much better chance at winning a higher settlement (or anything at all). There are cases that insurance companies outright deny and innocent injury victims end up walking away with nothing. Experienced Tampa personal injury lawyers can help maximize your financial recovery by:
- Launching a thorough investigation into your accident case. Many accident victims don’t know the importance of carrying out a thorough and comprehensive, in-depth investigation to get all the facts and details of the accident. A thorough investigation will help us determine the cause of the accident and establish liability.
- We will help you navigate through the legal process and formulate a plan that will successfully win you a favorable settlement.
- We’ll help you identify all damages for which you can seek compensation and assess the value of each damage. This will give us a calculated and realistic idea of what your case is worth.
- We will effectively negotiate a better settlement for you; insurance companies aren’t always easy to deal with.
- We’re here for more than just legal advice – we are compassionate attorneys who want to provide support through these hard times and genuinely want to make your life easier after falling victim to the hands of a negligent driver who caused your damages and losses. We’ll help you make tough decisions like whether or not you should settle or take your case to court. One of our top values is making things right for injury victims who have been done wrong.
Other Types of Accidents Our Tampa Car Accident Lawyers Handle
We don’t just handle dangerous intersection accident cases, and that’s not the only place or way accidents happen. From drunk driving accidents to ride-share and public transportation accidents, we are here to represent all motor vehicle injury victims. Some other types of cases we specialize in include:
- High-speed collision injuries
- Bus accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Rear-end collision accidents
- Side-swipe accidents
- Rollover accidents
- Ridesharing accidents
- Taxi accidents
- Golf cart accidents
- And other motor vehicle collision cases
Call Our Expert Tampa Personal Injury Lawyers Today for a Free Consultation
Our Personal injury firm has handled car accident cases and won very generous settlements for our clients to help recover and move on after getting injured in an accident. If you or a loved one was injured in a dangerous intersection accident or any other type of collision caused by a negligent driver, reach out to us now. We’ll give you honest feedback on the assessment of your case merits and get to work on your case right away if we take it on.
We will see to it that you get compensated justly for your medical bills, pain and suffering, property damage, lost income, pain and suffering and all other losses you incurred because of the accident. The negligent driver who caused your injuries should be held accountable and we will help you do so.
Call us today for a free consultation.
