Philips ConnorThe most dangerous highways in the USA are those that pose significant threat to travelers; in the form of collisions or other accidents. There are several factors that could make a highway dangerous, although in many cases it is not the highways themselves, but the people who are the cause of the accidents.
No matter how dangerous a highway may deemed, there is no doubt that most users still use these roads successfully. In fact, for every collision recorded, there are probably thousands or millions of people who travel without incidence.
These are the roughest highways in America; please take extra care when using them.
Most Dangerous Highways In The USA
here are some of the most dangerous highways in the country. The rankings are according to the number of crashes.
1. Interstate 95 (I-95)
This highway Spanning from Maine to Florida, is notorious for its high fatality rate. In fact, some people which phobia prefer to avoid the road entirely. This road had 284 deaths in 2019 alone, averaging 14.88 fatalities per 100 miles.
It is still an important road, and it is used by both trucks, and cars, meaning that there is a very high volume of traffic on the road. This is perhaps why it is so dangerous; with so many vehicles travelling at the same time, one vehicle can start a chain of collisions, eventually ending several lives.
2. Interstate 4 (I-4)
This highway is in Florida – Connecting Tampa to Daytona Beach. Interstate 4 (1-4) is a lifeline; a very busy road that sees lots of traffic especially commuters to work, or people visiting the beaches. In fact, this road is known to be so busy that traffic jams are quite frequent.
Warning: with approximately 1.41 deaths per mile, this is one of the deadliest stretches of road in the nation.
Some of the factors that make this road dangerous include: high traffic volume, tourist influx, construction zones, and weather-related hazards. Poor driving habits also contribute to the spate of traffic accidents; especially those involving tourists.
3. Interstate 10 (I-10)
This is an unusually long stretch of road; running from California to Florida, and including Arizona and Texas. Perhaps this length is one of the reasons why the road has so many accidents. I-10 has been the site of numerous fatal accidents, particularly in Arizona and Texas.
Some of the cities it passes through include; Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Cruces, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Gulfport, Mobile, Pensacola, and Tallahassee.
With so many cities; there is no doubt that there is a lot of traffic going and coming throughout this road, and of course, some of those drivers are not very cautious. Human error is no doubt one of the main factors that make this road so dangerous.
4. Interstate 5 (I-5)
This road is mostly located in California – it is a major West Coast highway. This road had 186 fatalities in 2019, with a rate of 13.47 deaths per 100 miles. Those are frightening statistics no matter how you look at it.
Interstate 5 (I-5), particularly in California, is considered dangerous due to a combination of factors, including high traffic volume, reckless driving behaviors, and challenging weather conditions. These factors, along with the presence of commercial trucks and infrastructure issues, contribute to a higher risk of accidents, including fatalities.
5. Interstate 20 (I-20)
This road, stretching from Texas to South Carolina, I-20 recorded 208 fatalities in 2019, averaging 13.52 deaths per 100 miles.) This is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. The road is quite long; 1,539 miles (2,477 km).
Interstate 20 (I-20) is known as a dangerous highway due to a combination of factors, including high speeds, traffic density, and the presence of various vehicle types, particularly 18-wheelers. Studies have shown that I-20 has a high rate of fatal crashes per mile, ranking it among the deadliest highways in the US.
6. Interstate 75 (I-75)
This is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It is an important north–south route, traveling from the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, near the Canadian border.
It is the second-longest north–south Interstate covering states from Florida to Michigan, I-75 had 237 fatalities in 2019, with a rate of 13.27 deaths per 100 miles.
7. U.S. Route 1 (US-1)
This road is located in Florida. It is known for its high number of crashes. US-1 had 1,011 reported accidents and 1,079 fatalities over a decade. U.S. Route 1 (US-1) is considered dangerous due to factors like heavy traffic, urban congestion, and specific sections like the Overseas Highway in Florida, which have a high number of accidents and fatalities.
Speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving are also major contributing factors to crashes on US-1. It seems that the behavior of most road users is as much to blame for the spate of accidents as anything else.
8. Interstate 40 (I-40)
Interstate 40 is a major east–west Highway in the southeastern and southwestern sides of the United States. measuring 2,556.61 miles, it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country. This road had 253 fatalities in 2019, with a death rate of 9.89 per 100 miles.
Interstate 40 (I-40) is considered dangerous, especially in certain areas, due to factors like excessive speeding, traffic congestion, challenging road conditions, and distracted driving.
Human actions seem to be the leading cause of accidents on this road.
9. Interstate 35 (I-35)
Interstate 35 runs from Texas to Minnesota. Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major north-south Interstate highway in the United States, stretching from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border, to Duluth, Minnesota.
It’s a significant part of the US Interstate highway system and is categorized as a Tier 1 corridor, a high-priority freight network corridor.
As result of the busy traffic situation, this road is quite precarious. In fact, I-35 recorded 197 fatalities in 2019, averaging 12.56 deaths per 100 miles.
10. U.S. Route 41 (US-41)
Route 41, also known as U.S. Highway 41, passes through ten states. It is a major north-south highway in the United States, spanning roughly 3,232 km (2,000 miles) from Miami, Florida to Copper Harbor, Michigan.
With such a long stretch of road, is seems normal that statistics cast it in bad light. This highway had 141 fatalities in 2019, with a rate of 7.02 deaths per 100 miles.
Other Notably Dangerous Highways
These roads see a high number of vehicle crashes every year, and as a result, people need to be extra vigilant when using them.
11. U.S. Route 93 (US-93)
Arizona – Connecting Wickenburg to the Hoover Dam, this highway had 70 fatal crashes between 2010 and 2016.
12. U.S. Route 160 (US-160)
Colorado – Known for its treacherous mountain passes, US-160 experienced 80 fatal crashes from 2010 to 2016.
13. U.S. Route 11W (US-11W)
Tennessee – Nicknamed “Bloody 11W,” this highway has a history of high accident rates, including a tragic 1972 collision that killed 14 people.
14. U.S. Route 287 (US-287)
U.S. Route 287 is a north–south highway in the USA. It measures 1,791 miles long, making it the second longest three-digit U.S. Route. The highway is broken into two segments by Yellowstone National Park, where several park roads serve as a connector.
This road is between Colorado/Wyoming – This stretch has seen 570 crashes and 15 fatalities since 2019, particularly affecting students from the University of Wyoming.
Again, it seems that human actions; particularly negligence is mostly to blame for this spate of accidents.
15. Washington State Route 522 (SR-522)
This road used to be one of the most dangerous in the country. Between 1980 and 1995, this highway experienced over 1,100 accidents and 40 deaths, leading to community campaigns for safety improvements.
There are still occasional crashes on this road; it still pops up on the news every now and then with car crashes – some of them fatal.
Summary
The most dangerous highways in the USA are mostly very long stretches of road. It appears that the longer the road, the more likely it is to wind up on this road. However, roads leading to colleges, beaches and resorts seem also see a lot of accidents. It is important to be vigilant whenever driving, but on these roads, it seems that extra caution is needed.