A recent study by Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the traffic monitoring firm INRIX concluded that there are areas in the state of Connecticut which have some of the worst traffic in the country.

One area, Bridgeport-Stamford, was placed as the second worst area in the entire country when it comes to traffic jams and tie-ups. The study says that commuters in that area spend an average of 49 hours every year sitting in traffic.

According to the Urban Mobility Scorecard, Hartford is number five in the country of medium-size cities with horrific traffic jams. Motorists in Hartford spend approximately 45 hours sitting in traffic every year. Another medium-size Connecticut city, New Haven, made the list. New Haven shows up as the 11^th worst city, with drivers in that area sitting in traffic jams for nearly 40 hours per year.

Connecticut also made the list for large cities. Drivers who commute through the Connecticut-Newark-New York area spend 74 hours every year waiting for traffic to move. Those hours equal approximately 35 gallons of extra fuel idling vehicles are consuming.

What causes all of these traffic tie-ups? According to a spokesperson from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, more than half of the state’s traffic jams are caused by poor driver behavior. One of the most common results of these traffic jams are vehicle accidents.

Tragically, too many of these auto accidents result in fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 276 people killed in traffic accidents in Connecticut in 2013. Just over 180 of those victims were passengers, and 53 of victims killed were on motorcycles, 36 victims were pedestrians, and three were on bicycles.

Sixty-four victims were killed in speed-related accidents, while another 114 victims were killed in accidents which were alcohol-related.

The loss of loved one is devastating to a family, and that loss is only compounded when it is caused by the carelessness or negligence of another. If you have lost a family member in a car crash, please contact an experienced Westport wrongful death attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against those responsible for your loss.

Sources:

http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/report/

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-ctm-connecticut-traffic-0828-20150827-story.html

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/9_CT/2013/9_CT_2013.htm