The deadliest intersections in America, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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The deadliest intersections in America, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
aerial shot of intersection
Roughly 1 in 4 fatal car crashes in the United States happens at an intersection, according to data from the National Highway Transit Safety Administration — a figure that speaks to the delicate balancing act that intersections require, often involving vehicles on smaller, slower roads entering or crossing larger, faster thoroughfares.
The law firm of Piasta Walker Hagenbush LLC analyzed over 18 years of crash reporting data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System and found more than 142,000 fatal crashes at 136,000 intersections.
However, with nearly 16 million intersections in the continental U.S., that number means fatal crashes happened at less than 0.9% of all intersections. That shrinks to 0.04% of intersections with two or more fatal crashes, and less than 0.01% that have seen enough fatal crashes to qualify as “deadly intersections” — just under 900 such crossings qualify.
So where are the deadliest intersections in America, and what should drivers know about them?
In this analysis, we define a “deadly intersection” as one where at least three fatal crashes occurred from 2004 to 2021. There are 894 such intersections, which accounted for 2,940 fatal crashes and 3,293 deaths in that time period, and while they are spread all over the country, there are a few common characteristics.
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Piasta Walker Hagenbush LLC // National Highway Transit Safety Administration
Deadly intersections are more likely to involve high-speed roads.
graph showing Percentage of fatal crashes by intersection type, 2004–2021
Across all intersections, main arteries — higher-speed road classes including interstates, U.S. and state highways, and county roads — are part of just over 65% of fatal crashes and 57% of deaths, either intersecting with each other or with local roadways.
But 82% of crashes and 83% of deaths at deadly intersections involve at least one main artery, also referred to as secondary roads.
In particular, fatal motor vehicle crashes at the junction of two main arteries are more than twice as common at deadly intersections, representing about 16% of crashes at all intersections but nearly 40% at deadly intersections. That increase is likely due largely to increased speed on major roadways.
Piasta Walker Hagenbush LLC // National Highway Transit Safety Administration
They are much more common in rural areas
bar graph showing Percentage of fatal crashes by location type, 2004–2021
Over 60% of fatal crashes at intersections with fewer than 3 crashes happened in cities. But outside of city limits, that rate inverts — 71% of the fatal crashes at deadly intersections were in non-city areas
Roads in more suburban or rural areas are not always as well-lit at night as comparable roads in cities, which increases the risk that a driver approaching an intersection may not see another vehicle until it is too late to avoid a collision.
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Piasta Walker Hagenbush LLC // National Highway Transit Safety Administration
They are spread all around the country … but more are in Florida than anywhere else.
map showing Fatal crashes at intersections by state, 2004–2021
Fatal crashes at intersections happen in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. In fact, D.C. has a higher proportion of fatal crashes happening at road crossings (46%) than any other state.
But if you’re trying to determine the capital of intersection crashes in the U.S., look no further than Florida. The Sunshine State is #1 in fatal crashes at all intersections and at deadly intersections, and it has more than three times as many deadly intersections (257) as the next highest state, Arizona (82).
Florida is also home to 11 of the 38 intersections that had at least five fatal crashes from 2004 to 2021. The only other states with more than two were Texas (4), Arizona (3), and South Carolina (3). However, none of the nine deadliest intersections in the country — the junctions with more than five fatal crashes — were in the state.
The deadliest intersections in America
During the observation period, a total of 38 intersections saw at least five fatal crashes. Of those crossings, only nine were the site of more than five.
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024 / Airbus
US-98 and Carl Hudson Rd. (SR-63)
aerial view of US 98 and SR63 in MI
George County, Mississippi
Fatal Crashes: 8
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024 / Airbus
US-287 AND Texas 360 Toll
aerial view of US-287 and Texas 360 Toll
Ellis County, Texas
Fatal Crashes: 7
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024
SR-129 and Lalor St. (CR-650)
aerial view of SR-129 and Lalor St. (CR-650)
Mercer County, New Jersey
Fatal Crashes: 7
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024 / Airbus
White Horse Rd. (US-25) and Farrs Bridge Rd. (SR-183)
Aerial view of White Horse Rd. (US-25) and Farrs Bridge Rd. (SR-183)
Greenville County, South Carolina
Fatal Crashes: 6
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024
Street Rd. (SR-132) and Knights Rd. (SR-2019)
aerial view of Street Rd. (SR-132) and Knights Rd. (SR-2019)
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Fatal Crashes: 6
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024
US-83 AND 247th Ave. (SR-23)
Aerial view of US-83 AND 247th Ave. (SR-23)
Ward County, North Dakota
Fatal Crashes: 6
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024
SR-13 AND SR-123
Aerial view of SR-13 AND SR-123
Polk County, Missouri
Fatal Crashes: 6
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024 / Airbus
US-72 AND SR-7
Aerial view of US-72 AND SR-7
Benton County, Mississippi
Fatal Crashes: 6
Maps Data: Google Earth 2024
S. Oglesby Rd./Phoenix Bypass Rte. (SR-85) AND W. Broadway Rd.
Aerial view of S. Oglesby Rd./Phoenix Bypass Rte. (SR-85) AND W. Broadway Rd.
Maricopa County, Arizona
Fatal Crashes: 6
Data sources and methodology
Data for this analysis comes from the National Highway Transit Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System. We looked at fatal crashes from 2004 through 2021 (the most recent year for which data has been publicly released as of February 2024), isolating crashes that either happened in an intersection or as a result of driver action in an intersection (turning, etc.)
This story was produced by Piasta Walker Hagenbush LLC and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
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