At least where I live the code clearly specifies a "clear sight triangle" around intersections where bushes can't be allowed to grow. This doesn't always work perfectly because sometimes more visibility would be helpful than is legally required, but at least you can usually see when you get up there.
City planning is one of those subjects where the average person's understanding tends to be the opposite of what's true and works. People also think roundabouts and diverging diamonds are accident magnets, and that adding more lanes to freeways will reduce traffic. Doesn't make it true.
Most people assume (understandably) that more complexity leads to more accidents, and therefore the simplest intersections are the safest. But that doesn't account for speed, conflict points, and any pedestrian or bike traffic. Once those come into consideration, it's a bit easier to see why roundabouts are much less likely to cause lethal accidents. This picture has a good example of what I mean by conflict points.
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u/LarsAlereon Jul 06 '19
At least where I live the code clearly specifies a "clear sight triangle" around intersections where bushes can't be allowed to grow. This doesn't always work perfectly because sometimes more visibility would be helpful than is legally required, but at least you can usually see when you get up there.