The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that intersections with inadequate signage, blind spots and confusing lanes are dangerous and account for two thirds of all fatal crashes blamed on hazardous roads.

A survey conducted by the United States NHTSA reported that poor road design was to blame for over 23 percent of traffic deaths each year in America. This means that an estimated 8,000 people are killed due to dangerous road design each year.

The Federal Highway Administration has reported that 2.5 million accidents caused by dangerous intersections happen each year. The majority involve vehicles making left turns.

Intersection accidents are the second largest category of accidents in the country, with 40 percent of all vehicle wrecks happening where lanes of traffic cross each other. Only rear end collisions outnumber these types of accidents. Car accident lawyer Aaron Crane states, of most serious collisions, 50 percent happen in intersections. About 20 percent of fatal car wrecks take place in these locations on the roadways.

With an approximate 165,000 car accidents happening each year due to red light runners in intersections, about 800 fatalities are a result.

With intersections causing so many accidents, road safety and traffic experts have studied intersection activity to indicate where improvements may be made. Some of these improvements include:

• Prolonging the period during which all lanes share a red light, to ensure all traffic has cleared the roadway before one set of lanes transitions to green lighting. Manager of the American Automobile Association in Michigan, Richard Miller, said that this "all-red" time period of two seconds or more would allow time for drivers to clear the crossing point, preventing many intersection accidents.

• Adding turn lanes for left turns, to make these turns safer and easier. Safety experts say that drivers turning left are among the most vulnerable to auto accidents. This is because they must use very swift judgment based on many parameters. This type of judgment is slower in seniors who take twice as long to make a left turn than drivers in their 20s.

• Adding more building overpasses, underpasses and bridge walks for pedestrians. In business districts and near schools, intersections are common. These are among the most dangerous places for pedestrians to cross, yet are heavily trafficked by pedestrians. To prevent accidents, many cities have constructed supplemental pedestrian bridges, underpasses and overpasses to ensure people are able to cross streets in safety. These types of structures also ease the burden on motorists who can become overwhelmed by the amount of stimuli and dangers to watch for in busy business and school districts.

• ?Installation of clear, highly reflective, large and simple road signs. Recent studies have found that drivers encountering confusing or unclear road signs often respond by making an abrupt stop or reducing their speed to figure out the sign's meaning. This makes them vulnerable to rear-end collisions. AAA has found that rural traffic signs are particularly unclear and often are damaged by weather, increasing driver vulnerability to accidents.

At night, traffic signs are particularly important. But signage can cause accidents at night, if they are not reflective enough, obstructed, unclear or poorly maintained. The NHTSA has reported that 300 percent more fatal accidents due to unclear signage happen at night.

Installation of more adequate lighting on roadways and intersections. Lights allow drivers to see the roadway and surrounding, both of which are important to have within field of view for safe driving. In intersections, poor lighting is even more dangerous than other areas. Recent studies have shown that rural area intersections are particularly poorly lit and make drivers vulnerable to accidents.

If you or someone you love has suffered injury, property damage or death due to an accident occurring in an intersection, it is important that you speak with an experienced personal injury attorney regarding your case. This is because a dangerous intersection may be to blame for your accident, even if the accident has been blamed on you.

As the above statistics show, dangerous intersections can be the root cause of an accident. It is likely that the location of your accident has been the sight of others before you. Even a new intersection or one where an accident had not previously occurred can be the bigger issue than your driving, as a cause of your accident. This is something you will not be able to determine without the expert assistance and guidance of an experienced auto accident lawyer.