If you commute to Washington, D.C. every day or only drive into the city occasionally, you undoubtedly know how bad traffic can be. After all, despite a variety of public transportation options, many residents of Maryland and Virginia continue to prefer to drive.
Driving to and from work should give you more time to spend with your family. If you have a car accident, though, your ordinary commute quickly can turn into a nightmare. So, just how safe is your drive into the city?
The duration of your trip
According to reporting from WAMU, the average Washington commuter spends between 30 minutes and an hour getting to the city. This fact gives the city the distinction of having some of the country’s longest commute times. When the weather is bad, of course, you may be behind the wheel for hours.
Put simply, the longer you spend in the car, the greater your chances of suffering a catastrophic injury in a motor vehicle accident.
Road construction
It is difficult to drive anywhere in the Washington, D.C. area without encountering road construction. While there is certainly nothing wrong with building new stretches of roadways or repairing existing ones, construction zones can be exceedingly dangerous for motorists. This is due to strange traffic patterns, uneven roads, slow speeds and other factors.
Even if you drive responsibly during your commutes into Washington, you cannot control how other motorists decide to drive. Ultimately, if you have an accident on your commute, it may be important to take legal action against the driver or drivers who cause the crash.