Despite multiple public safety initiatives, Pennsylvania continues to see its fair share of injurious and fatal accidents. In fact, according to 2021’s statistics, 191 people were injured in car accidents each day in our state, and three people were killed each day. That means that Pennsylvania’s roads continue to be dangerous, putting you and your loved ones at risk.
But not all roads are created equal. As we highlighted in another blog post, there are several highways in our state that are more hazardous than others. But there are also certain counties in Pennsylvania that are especially treacherous. Let’s take a closer look.
Which Pennsylvania counties see the most accidents?
Some counties have higher crash rates than others. Here’s how they stack up as far as crashes are concerned:
- Allegheny County: This county accounts for nearly 10% of all of the state’s crashes, which makes sense given that it’s the second most populous county in the state and is near the top of the list of counties with the most roadways. Allegheny County also sees its fair share of traffic fatalities, making up 5.5% of all statewide accident deaths.
- Philadelphia County: Despite being the most populous county in the state, Philadelphia County is only second on the list of counties with the most car accidents, accounting for 8.8% of all crashes. This might be on account of greater access to public transportation and the ability to walk places rather than drive, but the county still ranks first in traffic fatalities, accounting for 10.8% of them.
- Montgomery County: This county saw 6.7% of all car accidents in 2021. Being the third most populous county in the state, this isn’t all that surprising, especially in light of the fact that it also ranks near the top of the list of counties with the most local roadways.
- Bucks County: With 4.8% of traffic accidents in 2021, Bucks County falls in line with the trend of the most populous counties seeing the most wrecks. At this rate, the count saw well over 2,400 injurious accidents in 2021 alone, and 51 people died in these wrecks.
- Lancaster County: In 2021, Lancaster County saw more than 5,600 accidents, with nearly 2,300 of them being injurious in nature. During this timeframe, 69 people died in these wrecks. Looking at the overall accident rate, Lancaster County tied with Bucks County with 4.8% of the state’s accidents.
There are other dangerous counties in Pennsylvania. Rounding out the top 10 are Delaware, Berks, Lehigh, York, and Chester. All but Chester saw more than 4% of the state’s accidents, and York and Berks were also on the top ten list of counties with the most traffic fatalities.
What’s important to remember when looking at this list is that you’re never completely safe, regardless of where you’re driving in the state. That’s why it’s critical to deploy defensive driving every time you hit the road.
What should you do if you’re injured in a car accident?
If you’re injured in a Pennsylvania wreck caused by a negligent driver, then you have the ability to seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. If you want to succeed on one of these claims, though, you’ll have to have persuasive evidence to support your case.
That can be a daunting task when you’re simply trying to take care of yourself during your recovery, but it’s not something that you have to do on your own. Instead, you can find resources and support to help you craft the compelling legal arguments that you want and need to find accountability and recover compensation.