The Most Dangerous Intersections in America

Dangerous intersections exist in literally every community in America. All it takes is one negligent driver in a hurry to turn an otherwise safe intersection into a deadly one. Running red lights is only part of the story, though. Some dangerous intersections are so clogged with traffic that commuters almost can't help but bounce off one another on a regular basis. With winter weather settling in over much of America, paying attention to the intersections that frequently are cited as being the most dangerous in America can help save your, and other lives. After all, even warm climates are subject to occasional snowfall and black ice.

The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that 43% of motor vehicle accidents either happen at intersections or are related to intersections. To help reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries at intersections, many communities are beginning to build roundabouts or additional traffic lanes, which have been proven to reduce traffic incidents significantly.

The Most Dangerous Intersections In America

The latest list of the Most Dangerous Intersections in America was compiled by State Farm Insurance in 2001, and included as the single most dangerous Intersection in America as the intersection of Pines boulevard and Flamingo road, located in Pembroke Pines, Florida. A quick look at Google maps shows you just why this intersection is so notorious. There are eleven total traffic lanes traveling east-west on Pines boulevard, with two turn lanes, and nine traffic lanes moving north-south. According to State Farm, there were 357 traffic accidents at this intersection over a two-year period. However, following the report, residents passed a bond initiative that allowed the city to redesign the intersection to be more safe.

The city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has the distinction of having two intersections that made the list. The first was at East 51st street and Memorial drive and the second is also on Memorial drive at 71st street. In all these cases, significant improvements were made following the publication of the list, and today are far safer than they were ten years ago. Still, these are still dangerous intersections, as are the intersections of these roads and route 169 a little bit to the east. A recent warning to motorists indicated that much of the area surrounding 51st, 61st and 71st street in Tulsa were still extremely dangerous intersections.

What are the most dangerous intersections in your local area, and what makes them so dangerous? After all, just because a particular intersection doesn't make the cut on an insurance company's list, doesn't mean that it isn't one of the deadliest intersections in America.

Sources:
Fox 23.com: Tulsa's Dangerous Intersections for Shoppers: Abbie Alford; www.fox23.com