Yahoo Autos These Are the 15 Deadliest Intersections in the United States
The number of traffic deaths in the United States is at a record high. While a traffic death can happen almost anywhere motor vehicles can travel, nearly a quarter of all the country’s fatal crashes happen at intersections. The Colorado-based Fang Law Firm combed through 20 years of crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to identify the country’s most dangerous intersections and why they are deadly.
The Fang Law Firm mentioned there were two significant factors behind the country’s deadliest intersections. First, most were secondary roads, usually state highways without limited access. These roads tend to have signaled or signed crossings with much slower local streets. It should be noted that the Fang Law Firm excluded crashes on highway interchanges, driveway exits, and pedestrian paths.
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The report also noted that rural areas with populations of less than 2,500 people had a disproportionally high amount of fatal crashes. These areas are home to 18 percent of the U.S. population, but 36 percent of the countries’ deadly intersections are located there. The law firm hypothesized that speeds are higher and road designs are older in rural areas compared to urban and suburban areas.
The report states there are 15.8 million intersections in the continental United States. Between 2000 and 2019, there was at least one fatal crash at 147,000 intersections, fewer than one percent. Only 15 intersections had seven or more fatal crashes. Here are those 15 intersections by number of fatal crashes. The ties were broken by the intersection which had the most recent fatal crash.
15. Deen Still Rd and SR-33 - Polk County, FL
Over the past 20 years, there were seven fatal crashes at this intersection about 39 miles southwest of Orlando, Florida. The Florida Department of Transportation replaced the previous four-way intersection with a modern roundabout in 2016, which drastically reduced the number of crashes. The upgrade is an example of how infrastructure improvement can make roads safer.
14. FM 866 and SH-302 - Ector County, TX
This rural intersection about 14 miles west of Odessa, Texas saw seven fatal crashes. While outside of the report’s range, there was another fatal crash at the intersection in June 2022. Both roads have a speed limit of at least 70 mph, and there’s only a set of stop signs for Farm to Market Road 866.
13. CR-74 and SR-31 - Charlotte County, FL
There were seven fatal crashes at this intersection 26 miles north of Fort Myers, Florida. The Florida Department of Transportation is planning on installing a roundabout to reduce the number of crashes, like at the Deen Still Rd and SR-33 intersection. The roundabout will cost an estimated $6 million.
12. Pierce Ferry Rd and US-93 - Mohave County, AZ
There were seven fatal crashes at this Arizona intersection located 77 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2020, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) completed a project to separate the left-turn lanes from highway traffic better. ADOT is considering constructing a half-interchange to allow drivers to turn left from US-93 onto Pierce Ferry Road without crossing the opposite lanes.
11. Dug Hill Rd and US-72 - Madison County, AL
There were seven fatal crashes at this intersection 10 miles east of Huntsville, Alabama. According to WZDX, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) announced plans in 2020 to replace the intersection with a restricted crossing U-turn intersection. An ALDOT spokesperson said:
“What the R-cut intersection does is reduce the number of conflict points as compared to a normal intersection. Motorists at Dug Hill Road will no longer be able to make a left turn onto US 72 or to go straight across through the median and continue North or South on Dug Hill in one movement.”
10. M-46 and M-83 - Saginaw County, MI
There were seven fatal crashes at this intersection 10 miles west of Saginaw, Michigan. In 2020, a suspected drunk driver ran into the back of a stopped school bus during its morning run on M-46 just west of M-83. Thankfully, no one was injured in the collision.
9. East Grand St and US-1/9 - Elizabeth, NJ
There were seven fatal crashes at this urban intersection two miles from Newark Liberty International Airport. Elizabeth is only a stone’s throw from the New York City borough of Staten Island. This won’t be the list’s only entry from New Jersey or this stretch of US-1/9.
