Interstate 95 (I-95) in Philadelphia and Bucks County is the scene frequent fatal accidents. The Philadelphia and Bucks County spans of I-95 are heavily travelled by tractor trailers, busses, trucks, and cars. Commuters from Delaware County through to Trenton and Mercer County, NJ use I-95 to get to and from work each morning and evening. I-95 in Philadelphia has heavy traffic for most of the day from rush hour to rush hour. This heavy traffic, combined with distracted driving is the cause of most of the fatal accidents on the Philadelphia span of I-95. Drunk driving has also been a major problem contributing to I-95’s fatal accidents.
Construction began on I-95 in the Philadelphia in 1959 and did not finish until about 1979. Much of the Philadelphia span of I-95 is an elevated highway. When I-95 was built, it could not have been designed to handle the current traffic flow. Today’s high demand of I-95 leads to backups and bumper to bumper traffic making I-95 susceptible to many rear end accidents.
Because much of I-95 in Philadelphia is elevated, it is not easily expandable to handle the increased traffic flow. There are plans in the works for the elevated portion of I-95 to be rebuilt. Hopefully when I-95 is rebuilt in the Philadelphia area, it will be expanded to handle the next 50 years of traffic.
HIGH TRAFFIC DEMAND – DISTRACTED DRIVING – DRUNK DRIVING
Driving under the influence (DUI) in Bucks County is a leading cause of fatal accidents on I-95. People from Bucks County and Mercer County, NJ travel down I-95 to Philadelphia to eat dinner at Philadelphia’s restaurants and visit Philadelphia’s many bars and nightclubs. On their way back home, these drunk drivers travel northbound on I-95 and oftentimes lose control of their cars contributing to Interstate 95’s fatal auto accidents.
Although cars and trucks are built much safer today, distracted driving is causing many fatal accidents all over the Delaware Valley, including I-95 in Philadelphia. The constant rush hour traffic causes many “bored drivers” to text message, check their email, or even check Facebook on their cell phone. Taking your eyes off I-95 for few seconds can cause a multicar fatal accident. Philadelphia and Bensalem, PA currently have a ban on the use of handheld cell phones. Unfortunately, fines for texting while driving or talking on a hand held cell phone do not discourage many I-95 drivers. When all drivers understand the dangers of distracted driving, our roads and highways, including Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and Bucks County, will be a safer place.
If you are involved in an accident on I-95 in Philadelphia, you have to be extremely careful to safely get out of the way of approaching traffic. Because of the many turns and elevated nature of I-95 in Philadelphia it is difficult to see an accident far ahead of you. This lack of vision causes many fatal rear-end accidents on I-95.
If you have been injured in an accident on I-95 or have had a loved one killed in a fatal accident on I-95 in Philadelphia, contact the Philadelphia injury lawyers at Cordisco & Saile LLC. Download a FREE copy of our Pennsylvania Car Accident Guidebook and review our website to learn how to choose the perfect injury lawyer for your Philadelphia injury claim.
