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A&M research suggests it's safer to stay put in the car when stuck on freeway

Driving a Car
Posted at 3:50 PM, May 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-07 16:50:02-04

COLLEGE STATION, TX — Texas A&M is studying risk factors for stranded motorist deaths on the freeway.

Aggies are currently working with trauma centers and the medical examiner's office to analyze said factors.

Indeed, injuries and deaths of pedestrians in car accidents are well understood. However, crashes involving a stopped or stalled car on a roadway don't have enough info.

Five years of data found that drivers who exit their stopped or stalled vehicle, are at greater odds of traumatic injury or even death.

"Staying on the road and getting out of the vehicle, in our findings, put at risk of nearly three-quarters of the time or nearly 80% of the time for getting struck from another vehicle, resulting in injury or death." shared Stacy Drake, associate professor of forensic nursing at Texas A&M.

Drake adds that if drivers must leave their car, they should always have their hazard lights on and try to make themselves as visible as possible to oncoming traffic.

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