Design of Tishomingo intersection where 6 teens died is OUTDATED, has a history of FATAL accidents
The intersection of two busy Oklahoma roads, which was the location of a horrible accident that killed six adolescents on Tuesday, 22 March, has a history of crashes and has an outdated design. For the past seven years, James Brewer has owned a company that faces the intersection claimed that the intersection has a history of deadly accidents.
He told USA Today, “It's a dangerous intersection, in my personal opinion. Brewer has witnessed “several accidents there, and three of them were fatalities." Witnesses told the Oklahoma Highway Patrol that the vehicle carrying the teenagers rolled through the stop sign at the intersection and was hit by a tractor-trailer. The data obtained from an event data recorder taken from the car was "consistent with witness statements."
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Though detailed accident data for the crossing are not available, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office claims to have information showing eight fatalities in the previous 10 years.
Local authorities, rather than the Highway Patrol, may have investigated certain crashes. The 50 mph crossroads joins State Highway 22 and US Highway 377 in deep southern Oklahoma. It connects Interstate 35 in the west, Ardmore in the south, and Madill in the north to Tishomingo. Due to its proximity to a nearby quarry, semi-trucks loaded with boulders frequently pass by the route.
Its triangular structure provides three intersections that merge at sharp angles. Vehicles heading in most directions may proceed on their way without decelerating or turning suddenly. Two directions of traffic must come to a halt.
According to current traffic design principles that are widely recognized across the country, Intersections should be at a 90-degree angle if feasible, and no less than 75 degrees. This crossroads features a significantly sharper angle, to the point that a motorist traveling east on State Highway 22 must turn south and halt at a stop sign before rejoining westbound traffic.
Brewer told USA Today, "It's on a curve, so you've got limited visibility. Whenever you come to the stop sign, if you approach it straight on, your visibility to the right, toward Madill, is very limited."
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation's chief engineer, Brian Taylor, said there are still "quite a few" of these crossings around the state, many of which were built in the 1950s and 1960s but are now outdated.
He told USA Today, "This particular intersection was designed in 1965 or before, and it's typical of intersections of that day," Taylor said. "But remember, 70 years ago, the size of a big truck was the size of an F150 (pickup) today."
