Driving Safety Tips for El Paso
In 2009, El Paso was the site of over 13,300 car crashes. More than 10 percent of these accidents resulted in serious injury. That’s a good indication that this is a city where motorists can benefit from more defensive driving. El Paso, TX has some unique road hazards. For example, the dry climate makes the area prone to wind and dust storms. These storms often feature 60-80+ mile per hour winds. Such extreme weather events can arise suddenly and limit visibility to under a quarter of a mile. In severe dust storms, visibility may be virtually nonexistent.
Tips for Road Safety in a Dust Storm
How dangerous is it to drive during a dust storm? Here are some of the problems you might encounter:
- Inability to see surrounding traffic – or even the road surface
- Winds strong enough to push your car off the road or roll an SUV
- Flying debris including broken glass and roofing materials
- Falling trees and utility poles blocking the road
- Broken traffic signals and missing signs
If you are driving during this type of storm, here are your best options for staying safe:
- When you see a dust storm approaching, pull your vehicle as far off the road as possible and stop. Set your emergency brake and turn off all lights so that other drivers don't accidentally follow you off the road and rear end your vehicle.
- If there's no way to pull over safely, slow your speed based on how far you can see. Pay special attention to the painted center stripe on the road to stay on your side of the street or highway. Turn on your headlights and honk your horn every few seconds.
- Don't come to a complete stop on the road itself or you may be struck by another vehicle.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled at These Intersections
As in every city, there are quite a few dangerous intersections in El Paso. Defensive driving is especially likely to save your life if you watch out for red light runners. Here are the intersections where most accidents occur:
- Gateway West @ George Dieter, Yarbrough, Hawkins
- Lee Trevino @ Gateway East, Gateway West
- Montana @ Global Reach, Airway
- Zaragoza @ George Dieter, Montwood, Gateway East
- Alameda @ Americas
- Dyer @ Transmountain
- Joe Battle @ Rojas, Montwood
Watch Your Route
The city of El Paso makes the feed from traffic cameras available to the public. This means you can check major thoroughfares to plan the best route to get where you need to go.