The Most Dangerous Intersection in Each State [Map]
Twenty miles northeast of Philadelphia, Bensalem, PA, boasts a casino and horse track, a shrine to an American saint, and the most dangerous intersection in the country. Recently, TIME Magazine used data spanning from 2003 to 2012 from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study on fatal traffic accidents to count the number of fatal accidents that occurred within approximately 150 feet of each other.
Check out the graphic below to see where the most dangerous intersections in the country exist.
Data based on automobile and pedestrian accident occurrences in each state.
From the infographic, we can see that the majority of the most dangerous intersections are found in a major city of each state. This makes sense because more people in a concentrated area, like an urban city, would translate to more opportunity for accidents. In fact, the top five most populated cities—NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix—are also home to the most dangerous intersections in their respective states. The likeliness of a fatal traffic accident increases with more people on the road.
On the flip side, Wyoming is both the least populated state (ranked 50th) and the most dangerous state for drivers, with a reported 25.7 deaths for every 100,000 people. Since the density of people isn’t the case, other factors for the high accident rate include what kind of road people are traveling on. In rural areas, roads tend to be less safe, people tend to not wear seat belts, and the likeliness of colliding with a wild animal is far greater (source).
Interestingly, the cities with lowest accident numbers are on the East Coast, including Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, where each state had less than 10 crashes in the main city. Perhaps the inclement weather of the Northeast could be limiting the amount of time spent driving, thus lowering the opportunities for collisions.
Human error plays a major role in causing accidents. According to NHTSA’s report, in 2015, Texas had the most fatalities due to speeding with 3,516; the lowest number was Washington D.C., which had 23. Earlier data analysis by the NHTSA from 2010 revealed that 55.7% of crashes occur because the driver is distracted, not paying attention or can’t see well, and 29.2% of crashes occur because the driver made a poor decision, either related to timing or aggressive driving. What this means is that wherever you are in the country, being attentive behind the wheel is the best course to take.
To learn more about automotive accidents and the legal implications, click here.
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