Collisions on city streets are largely at intersections because of lane changing, running or jumping lights.

• A. Lane changing
• B. Running or jumping lights
• C. Both lane changing and running or jumping lights
• D. Other factors

Answer: (C)

Intersections are busy conflict zones where vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists converge, so behavior that increases how quickly conflicts arise raises crash risk. Changing lanes near an intersection often cuts into another driver’s blind spot or timing, making it easy to misjudge gaps, cut someone off, or collide as someone else completes a turn. On the other hand, running red lights or jumping a signal takes away the protection of the traffic plan, so cross-traffic or vehicles turning across the path may be entering the intersection at the same moment, leading to powerful side-impact or head-on crashes.

Because both types of behavior create high-conflict situations in these already crowded spots, they collectively explain why many city crashes occur at intersections. Other factors can contribute, but recognizing that these two behaviors together account for a large share of intersection crashes makes this the best choice.