Dust storms scurrying throughout Arizona deserts are causing havoc on highway and interstate roads. Arizona Department of Transportation has issued warning notices across the state and provided tips on staying safe an injury free. Unfortunately, there have already been multiple victims of these blinding dust storms today. Studies suggest that the real culprits behind these dust storms are the increasing gust speeds created by the winds. Highway drivers especially in the Phoenix area are advised to practice extreme caution suggesting staying clear from the highway in case a dust storm arises.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="English: Dust Storm in Black Rock Desert, Nevada (USA). Français : Une tempête de sable dans le Black Rock Desert, au Nevada (États-Unis). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"]
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National Weather Services along with ADOT issued the warning to be effective up until 8:00 p.m. Friday. Strong sustained arid winds between 20 and 25 mph with occasional 50 mph gusts are expected to happen. The warning is directed at all travelers, especially those on interstates-8 and -10. Visibility can be dramatically reduced to less than one mile in some instances.
In a dust storm, steady winds pick up loose sand and swirls it creating a moving cloud of dust, when it gets to be of immense proportions this dust can turn into a blinding dust storm. When the speeds of the wind increase so does the density of these storms. When there is a sudden gust increase a dense blinding storm can arise amiss what seems to be a platonic scene. In a recent Maricopa accident this was the case.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Dust Storm over Bolivia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"]
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South of the Valley was an ordinary windy day when a gushing gust brought a blinding sand cloud to the road reducing visibility. Victims of the event blamed their four car pile-up on the severe weather. The accident happened near Riggs Road and State Route 347. A dust storm allegedly reduced the vision of one of the drivers causing a chain-reaction type crash. Some of the people in the accident were injured. They will have to spend some time recovering and may have to worry about paying medical bills. They may have the right to compensation and with a Phoenix injury lawyer they can spend their time worrying about the recovery time versus having to pay for expenses out of pocket.
All four vehicles were moved to the shoulder of the road to prevent further accidents. Had they read the ADOT and Arizona Department of Public Safety advisory they could have prevented the accident. These are tips which are released to the public in an effort to reduce the chance of an accident. The essence of which is: lower visibility makes it more difficult to drive, stay off the road use your emergency break turn off your car and wait for the storm to dissipate. If you happen to get into a dust storm accident contact an injury lawyer that understands the climate of your community and the roads which you drive in.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="A thick band of dust snaking across the Red Sea between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on May 13, 2005. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"]
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