New Westville Intersection Aims To Reduce New Haven Auto Accidents

If you haven’t been driving in Westville lately you might have missed the traffic calming measures that have been put in place at the intersection of Chapel St. and Yale Avenue.  After the intersection saw 50 New Haven auto accidents in the last three years, city officials determined that it was time to do something about this dangerous stretch of road so they undertook a project that improved the traffic flow.

The new traffic calming measures, when viewed from above, look like a peanut, but despite the funny shape, city officials believe it will have a tremendous impact on the safe flow of traffic.  While the old intersection had not seen any fatalities, the 50 accidents in 3 years was alarming and required attention.  Along with shorter pavement for cars to navigate the new shape of the intersection also shortens the distance pedestrians will have to travel to cross the intersection from 40 feet across to two sections of 15-20 feet.  This is good for pedestrian safety.

This calming measure that was put in place at the intersection is among the many that the city of New Haven has undertaken over the last few months and will continue to roll out in the coming months.  Traffic calming measures can have a dramatic impact on the safety of drivers and pedestrians in the city, but they do not work alone.  While city officials are working to implement these measures through the city it is important for you to follow some simple safe driving strategies to avoid getting into an accident with other vehicles or pedestrians.

1.) Slow down when approaching an intersection.  Even if there is no signage along the route, you should still slow down anytime you are crossing between roads at an intersection.  In this case, the peanut shaped intersection will force you to slow down, there are intersections where slowing down is not dictated by the road or by signage so you will need to do it on your own.  If you don’t, you can be putting yourself or other drivers at risk of injury or death.

2.) Remember what your mother always used to tell you, look both ways before crossing.  If you’re crossing over another street it is critical to your safety that you look both ways before you do so.  If you just zoom through the intersection without looking you will be putting yourself in peril.  It can be tempting, especially when the roads seem free of traffic to just forge ahead without caution, but if you do that you could be putting yourself in a precarious situation.

3.) Always use your signals.  When you’re entering an intersection or turning onto a new street, your turn signals are your friend.  If you are not using your turn signals you are leaving other vehicles on the road at risk because they will be guessing where your vehicle is going next.  If you use your turn signals you are explicitly telling the other traffic where you are going and that can help them navigate their own path forward.

Traffic calming measures throughout the city of New Haven can be a welcome site for all neighborhoods, but they cannot resolve the uptick in New Haven auto accidents and fatalities all on their own.  In conjunction with these measures, we must do our part as we navigate the city streets to make sure we are keeping ourselves and each other safe while driving on the road.

If you do find yourself involved in an accident and injured you may need to speak with an attorney.  Contact our office and tell us your story and we’ll work on how we can help to protect your long-term interests.