Some US highways have a very poor record on safety – image © courtesy of Mike Woof
A study has revealed that 10 highway stretches in the US have a particularly poor record for road safety. Improving the safety of these highway stretches will require a package of measures, including improving infrastructure and tougher enforcement. In some states, DUI is a particular problem that needs to be addressed.
Worst of all is US-1 in Florida, which had 1,011 crashes and 1,079 fatalities over the past 10 years. In second place is I-40 in Tennessee, which in 10 years had 427 crashes and 517 fatalities. The third most dangerous highway is I-40 in New Mexico, which saw 344 crashes and 395 fatalities in 10 years, while I-65 in Alabama ran it close in fourth place with 336 crashes and an average of around 34 annual road deaths.
In fifth place is I-90 in Louisiana with 271 crashes and 295 road deaths over the past 10 years, while US-83 in Texas is in sixth place with 268 crashes and an average of 26 road deaths/year over the same period. The seventh most dangerous highway is I-40 in Arizona which in the last decade has had 249 crashes and 293 fatalities.
In eighth place is the stretch of I-95 running through South Carolina, which saw 244 crashes and 301 road deaths over the last 10 years, while I-5 in Washington saw 245 crashes and 258 deaths over the same period. Of note is that the I-95 stretch in North Carolina also figures as the 10th most dangerous highway stretch in the US, with 201 crashes over the 10 year period.
