Negligent drivers are frequently the cause of serious car accidents. Sometimes the conditions of a roadway, however, can make crashes even more likely. That appears to be the case with a narrow road in Knox County, and residents are not happy about the situation.
Gordon Smith Road is a narrow roadway that did not always get high traffic. The addition of a new Walmart store, however, has changed all that. Residents have apparently been using Gordon Smith Road, which is located in the Halls Community near Andersonville Pike and Norris Freeway, as a shortcut.
While officials note that only two major accidents have occurred on the road in recent years, local residents say that the problem is bigger than it seems. They say that the road is too narrow, as is the right of way. Just late last month, a driver was injured after losing control on a vehicle on that stretch of road. The vehicle flipped over several times.
Residents worry that more accidents will occur if nothing is done. Some say there have been many close calls, including vehicles smashing each other’s side mirrors off.
Part of the problem might be that there is construction at a nearby intersection, which is probably prompting more drivers than usual to use Gordon Smith Road. Even with the apparent risk of more accidents, officials say that there is no plan to make major changes to the road at this time.
Source: WATE, “Residents want narrow Knox County road fixed to prevent accidents,” Josh Ault, Sept. 5, 2012