One third of all traffic fatalities occur when a vehicle leaves the road, often hitting trees or utility poles, or overturning. And unlike other areas of highway safety,such as driver behavior and vehicle design, where significant gains have been made, the percentage of fatalities related to crashes with roadside hazards has actually risen over the past two decades. Driving with extra care and alertness on smaller roads can save lives. What follows is a small list of common roadway hazards and some advice on to avoid them. Some vehicles may not be equipped with driving lights, creating an additional hazard near dusk and dawn.
Livestock can become invisible at the onset of darkness.
Bicyclists - A bicycle is considered a vehicle on the roadway and has exactly the same rights as any other vehicle. Bicycling is one of the most popular recreational activities in the world. There are over ninety million cyclists in the U. S., thirty million of them adults. In any given year eight hundred to a thousand cyclists will die on our roadways, while some half a million will be treated for injuries. Many motorists erroneously believe that lane lines are absolute and cannot be crossed when passing cyclists.