UP ALL OVER METRO DETROIT. OUR QUESTION TONIGHT IS, WHY?
THERE WAS RECENTLY A LIST
COMPILED LISTING ROUNDABOUTS
WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF
CRASHES.
CRASHES. 9 OF THE TOP 10 ARE IN METRO
DETROIT.
DETROIT. >> Karen: EVERYONE HAS AN
OPINION AND IT BEGS THE
QUESTION, ARE THEY BETTER OR
SAFER?
SAFER? NICK MONACELLI JOINS US LIVE
FROM A ROUNDABOUT IN OAKLAND
COUNTY WITH A REASON BEHIND THE
RISE.
RISE. >> Nick: WE’RE STANDING AT WEST
HAMLIN AND SOUTH LIVERNOIS.
JUSTIN HAS BEEN HERE LONGER THAN
I AM.
I AM. PEOPLE THINK HE’S IN A TURN
LANE, BUT WE’RE IN THE MEDIAN.
THERE HAVE BEEN CARS HONKING,
PEOPLE STOPPING, PEOPLE BREAKING
WHEN THEY’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO AND
DON’T UNDERSTAND ROUNDABOUTS.
THAT’S OKAY ACCORDING TO THE
ROAD COMMISSION.
ROAD COMMISSION. THEY SEE MORE ACCIDENTS.
BUT IN THEIR MINDS, THAT’S A
GOOD THING.
GOOD THING. DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT LIKE
ROUNDABOUTS?
ROUNDABOUTS? >> I DON’T.
>> Nick: ASK ANY DRIVER --
>> I DON’T.
>> Nick: WHY NOT?
YOU’RE GOING TO GET A MIXED
REACTION.
REACTION. 9 OF THE TOP 10 ROUNDABOUT
CRASHES ARE HERE.
ORCHARD LAKE AT 14 MILE ROAD IN
FARMINGTON HILLS WITH 164
CRASHES.
CRASHES. NUMBER TWO, 18 1/2 MILE AND VAN
DYKE IN STERLING HEIGHTS WITH
153 CRASHES JUST IN 2018.
SO FLR SO MANY ACCIDENTS IN
ROUNDABOUTS, WHY HAVE THEM?
WE WENT TO THE OAKLAND COUNTY
ROAD COMMISSION, WHICH HAS THE
MOST ROUNDABOUTS IN THE ENTIRE
STATE.
STATE. THEY SAY THE FIRST ANSWER IS
TRAFFIC CAPACITY.
TRAFFIC CAPACITY. IT INCREASES CAPACITY 30-50%
WITHOUT WIDENING THE ROAD,
MEANING LESS CONGESTION FOR YOU.
THE SECOND REASON, BELIEVE IT OR
NOT, IS SAFETY.
BUT ARE THEY REALLY THAT MUCH
SAFER?
SAFER? HERE’S WHAT WE FOUND.
YES, THERE ARE A LOT OF
ACCIDENTS, BUT VERY FEW FATAL
ACCIDENTS.
ACCIDENTS. ROAD COMMISSIONS KNOW THERE’S
GOING TO BE FENDER-BENDERS.
AND THEY’RE OKAY WITH THAT.
>> THOSE ARE ALMOST ALWAYS
DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, NOT THE
PEOPLE AND WE’LL TAKE THAT OVER
A FATALITY OR INCAPACITATING
INJURY.
INJURY. >> Nick: THERE HAVE BEEN DOZENS
OF STUDIES, AND RESEARCH SHOWS
IN ROUNDABOUTS, A 75% REDUCTION
IN SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES, AND A
90% REDUCTION IN FATAL CRASHES.
FENDER-BENDERS AND MINOR
ACCIDENTS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,
NO WAY TO STOP THAT, BUT BETTER
THAN SOMEBODY DYING HERE.
BUT THEY WANT TO REDUCE THE
NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS.
AND IT’S A BACKYARDS THOUGHT
PROCESS LIKE INSTALLING THE
FENCES TO REDUCE THE VISIBILITY.
>> IF THEY CAN’T SEE, THEY SLOW
DOWN UNTIL THEY GET UP TO THE
EDGE AND FORCES THEM TO SLOW
DOWN AND THEN MOVING THROUGH AT
THE PROPER SPEED.
>> Nick: ANOTHER FIX, SMALLER
LANES.
LANES. >> NARROWING THE LANES FORCES
POPLE TO BE MORE AWARE OF THE
LANES.
LANES. >> Nick: AND BEING AWARE OF THE
LANES IS KEY.
WATCH FOR THE SIGNS ON WHICH
LANE GOES WHERE, PICK THAT LANE
AND THEN STAY IN IT, AND WAIT
FOR A GAP, YIELD TO THE TRAFFIC
ALREADY IN THE ROUNDABOUT.
IF EVERYBODY DID THAT, WE COULD
VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE ALL OF THE
FENDER-BENDERS IN ROUNDABOUTS.
>> Nick: LET’S PUT A FINER POINT
ON WHY FATAL CRASHES DROPPED.
IT ELIMINATING HEAD-ON
COLLISIONS.
COLLISIONS. IT’S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. YEAH, THERE ARE SIDE SWIPES AND
FENDER-BENDERS.
FENDER-BENDERS. AND HAD HAS BEEN REALLY FOUND
LOOK AT ALL THE NUMBERS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, HERE’S THE BOTTOM
LINE: IT IS SAFER AND IT’S
INTERESTING TO LOOK AT THE
STRANGE THINGS.
STRANGE THINGS. ADDING A FENCE TO DECREASE
VISIBILITY ACTUALLY HELPS.
>> Karen: THAT IS CRAZY.
I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE GET ANXIOUS
AND WE HAVE TO REMIND THEM OF
ALL OF THE RULES.
BUT THE STATS DON’T LIE.
IT’S TRUE.
IT’S TRUE. WE APPRECIATE IT.
SO BLOCKING THE VICTIM WAS
INTERESTING.
INTERESTING. >> Jason: A BET A LOT OF THINGS