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Arkansas ranks fourth in the nation for fatal car crashes – despite ranking 33rd of 50 in population and 29th of 50 by size. In 2022, 643 people died in Arkansas car crashes. The total includes bicyclists injured at dangerous intersections. Here, we examine several dangerous intersections for bicyclists in Bentonville and surrounding areas.
In 2023, Bentonville experienced 10 fatal car accidents, resulting in 11 deaths. Bentonville’s fatal car crash rate is about 1.7 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents – higher than the national average of 1.4 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents. Within Arkansas, only North Little Rock, Little Rock, and Hot Springs had higher rates of traffic accident deaths in 2023.
The League of American Bicyclists ranks Arkansas 39th of 50 states for bicycle safety and ninth of 13 southern states for bicycle safety. The League identifies several steps, including lower speed limits and better safety funding, that could improve cycling safety in Arkansas.
Bentonville is known as the “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.” This designation attracts bicyclists from across the United States and internationally each year. While many bicyclists stick to the Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, Slaughter Pen Trails, the Bentonville Bike Playground, and similar trails, others continue their travel by riding through the streets of Bentonville.
Bicyclists, like car drivers, have the right to use the public streets as long as they follow traffic rules. However, serious injuries and deaths may result when others on the road fail to exercise due care.
Bicyclists accounted for about 36 deaths or one percent of the 462 Arkansas roadway deaths that occurred between 2016 and 2022. However, bicyclists accounted for less than one percent of roadway users. Bicyclists thus suffer death and serious injury in Bentonville intersection accidents at a disproportionately high rate.
In 2019, bicyclists and pedestrians represented 12.6 percent of all people killed or seriously injured in Arkansas motor vehicle accidents. However, bicyclists and pedestrians comprised fewer than five percent of travelers on the roads in that year.
Bicyclist fatalities in the United States stayed relatively steady between 2016 and 2021. Bicyclist and other roadway deaths in Arkansas, however, jumped sharply in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Between 2014 and 2018, about four bicyclists suffered fatal injuries in Arkansas each year on average. However, 28 bicyclists were killed on Arkansas roads in 2019 alone. Another 36 died in 2020.
In 2022, one in every three bicyclist deaths nationwide occurred at an intersection. A total of 373 US bicyclists died in intersection collisions in 2022 – more than one death per day on average.
Between 2015 and 2019, intersections were a common site of death and serious injury for Arkansas pedestrians and bicyclists. In 2019, for example, 43 bicyclists and pedestrians were killed or seriously injured in an Arkansas intersection. Five more were injured in crosswalks located in the middle of a city block. By contrast, no bicyclists were killed or injured while using a marked bicycle lane in 2019.
Interstate 49 represents a significant barrier to bicyclists in northwest Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Difficulties include installing bike-friendly corridors either over or under the interstate.
Many sites near I-49 can thus prove hazardous to bicyclists. One such dangerous intersection in Bentonville is on US-62 at the I-49 ramp. In 2022, one person was killed and two were injured in a collision on US-62 at the ramps to Interstate 49.
US-62 passes underneath I-49 at this intersection. However, there are no shoulders or bike lanes – only six narrow traffic lanes. Vision can be obscured under the interstate, making it harder for drivers to see bicyclists. Lane markings can also be harder for drivers to spot, increasing the risk of a collision.
At nearby intersections, such as the AR-102 intersection, a lack of medians and other traffic control devices increases risks for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Crosswalks are marked, but both traffic lights and crosswalk signals are spaced far apart, making them difficult to see. Lack of clear signs can confuse drivers, causing them to use the wrong lane to make turns – which can lead to a collision with a bicyclist or another vehicle.
The intersection of AR-12 and Winsted Lane was the site of a fatal crash in 2022 that killed one person and injured two more. This busy area is a common site for accidents and a dangerous place for bicyclists.
Despite the high speed at which vehicles often travel in this area, the traffic lanes are narrow. Sidewalks are placed close to the roadway, and narrow curb lawns offer no protection to sidewalk users from the fast-moving traffic on AR-12. Sidewalks do not extend down Winsted Lane, even though the road leads toward an extensive residential neighborhood.
Only a faded crosswalk and a bent stop sign assist bicyclists or drivers attempting to turn off SW Winsted Lane onto AR-12. No other signs or signals are available to alert drivers or to assist those on bicycles or on foot.
This intersection could support safe bicycling in Bentonville, connecting residential areas to commercial ones. Its lack of protections for bicyclists or pedestrians, high speeds, and lack of clear signs or signals make it dangerous for everyone – bicyclists, pedestrians, and vehicle drivers.
The intersection of Highway 112 and West Pleasant Grove Road in Rogers has been the subject of multiple news reports. Frequent accidents have spurred residents to seek improvements to make the intersection safer.
The intersection is a recent addition. The city of Rogers extended West Pleasant Grove Road to reach Highway 112 in 2022.
Since the intersection was installed, however, residents have seen several traffic crashes at the site. High traffic speeds and a lack of stop signs or signals make the intersection dangerous for those trying to cross Highway 112 on Pleasant Grove Road or those trying to turn off Highway 112 onto Pleasant Grove Road in either direction. Early attempts by the city to secure signals, signs, or a speed reduction from the Arkansas Department of Transportation went unheeded.
Recently, however, temporary lights were installed at the intersection to control traffic. Residents hope this change will reduce the risk to those driving through the area.
The Hwy 112-West Pleasant Grove Road intersection’s lights and raised median offer some protection from serious accidents. However, the crosswalks are faded, and the sidewalks do not reach the intersection – making the area difficult for pedestrians to pass through safely. Also, a complete lack of shoulders or bike lanes puts bicyclists at risk of injury as they pass through.
Street design plays a significant role in bicyclist safety. In 2022, 64 percent of bicyclists killed on US roads died on state highways and other major thoroughfares. Another 31 percent were killed in accidents on side streets and smaller residential roads. Only three percent were killed on or near interstates, freeways, or on- or off-ramps.
Bicycle accidents and deaths are also more common in urban areas. In 2022, 889 bicyclists died nationwide in urban areas, or 83 percent of all bicyclist deaths that year. Urban areas have more intersections per square mile than rural areas, increasing the risk to bicyclists.
Several street design factors can make intersections more dangerous to bicycles.
Clear traffic signs and signals are a must for traffic safety at any intersection. They are particularly important when bicyclists share the road at an intersection with vehicles. Clear signs and signals help drivers avoid sudden lane changes, illegal turns, and other maneuvers that can cause a collision with a bicyclist.
An intersection is more dangerous for bicyclists if signs and signals are absent, faded, broken, or spaced too far apart for drivers to identify clearly which signs or signals correspond to which traffic lanes. When an intersection has dedicated bike lanes, these lanes should also have clear signals.
The Highway 112-West Pleasant Grove Road intersection demonstrates the risk that new construction can pose to bicyclists and drivers. Extending West Pleasant Grove road across Highway 112 created a new thoroughfare for drivers – but it also increased the rate of car accidents as drivers adjusted to the presence of a new intersection.
Work zones, buildings that obstruct views, new intersections, and other changes in the driving landscape can all make intersections more dangerous for bicyclists. Drivers who must navigate these changes may not be paying adequate attention to avoid a bicycle collision. Also, these changes may be made without attention to bicyclist safety. Bicycle lanes may be blocked by work crews, new buildings or other structures may block bicyclists’ view of the intersection, or a new road or intersection may be installed without proper shoulders or bike lanes for bicyclists.
Speed is a factor in many fatal bicycle accidents. Speeding may involve a driver exceeding the posted speed limit or simply driving too fast for road conditions, such as darkness or fog.
A 2023 NHTSA study found that 62 percent of bicyclist deaths occurred on roads with a legal speed limit of 40 miles per hour or higher. Bicyclist fatalities were most common when a driver struck a bicyclist at a speed of 45 miles per hour or higher – regardless of the posted speed limit. These speeds are also more likely to cause fatal injuries to pedestrians.
The League of American Bicyclists recommends a 20 mph speed limit on many residential and urban streets. The League argues that a 20 mph speed limit helps protect bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers from fatal or serious injury in crashes.
Crashes in which a driver rear-ended a bicyclist while speeding were the most common type of speeding crash to result in a bicyclist’s death.
In northwest Arkansas, street design safety plans are further complicated by conflicting visions of how to protect bicyclists, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. For example, a 2014 bicycle safety plan in the City of Fort Smith sought to move bike pathways and trails off the public streets. Planners in Fort Smith strongly believed that the roads were too dangerous for bicyclists. In Sebastian County, however, urban planners preferred an approach that retrofitted existing public streets with bike lanes. These conflicts can lead to delays in creating safer intersections and other areas for bicyclists.
While municipal governments may disagree on the safest infrastructure for bicyclist, most urban planners agree: Roads built with bicyclists in mind are safer than roads built without bicycle-friendly options.
Roads with narrow or no shoulders and roads without bike lanes or access to bike trails force bicyclists to ride in the traffic lane. While Arkansas law allows bicycles to use traffic lanes, placing a bicyclist directly in the lane increases the risk that an inattentive, inebriated, or speeding driver will collide with the bicyclist.
At intersections, bike lane safety can be further enhanced with the use of signals specific to bike lanes. These signals can be coordinated with traffic and crosswalk lights to allow bicyclists to proceed safely through an intersection while also warning drivers of the presence of bicycles.
Contact The Law Office of Jason Hatfield Today
If you or someone you love has been injured, don’t wait. Bentonville bicycle injury lawyer Jason Hatfield can help you protect your legal rights and fight for the compensation you need. Contact The Law Office of Jason Hatfield today for help with your Bentonville bicycle crash case.