We have all driven on the highway in the state where we live or work and thought to ourselves, “Yeah, this has to be the most dangerous highway in the United States.”
Especially coming back from relatively unpopulated roads during the pandemic, everybody seems to be in a bigger rush to get places than they ever used to be, and the roads seem much more congested than they were before 2020
Whether this is just our perceptions or reality depends on the road and the state. But what is absolutely a fact is that we live in a nation full of roads that not only appear to be dangerous but are statistically proven to be so.
According to a recent study based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, here is the ranking of the most dangerous highways in the United States:
1. Interstate 95 (I-95)
2. US Route 1, Florida
3. Interstate 4 (I-4), Florida
4. Interstate 45 (I-45), Texas
5. Interstate 10 (I-10), Arizona
6. Interstate 15 (I-15)
7. Interstate 65 (I-65), Alabama
8. Interstate 40 (I-40), Tennessee and New Mexico
9. Interstate 5 (I-5), Washington
10. US Route 41, Florida
Some of these roads, such as I-95 and I-15 span several states, with some parts of the highway reasonably easy to drive and some parts fairly treacherous.
One highway that is surprisingly not on the list is the Florida Turnpike. The Turnpike is not only considered one of the most dangerous roads in Florida, but anyone who has driven it knows that it can go from bad to much worse in minutes.
The Turnpike stretches through 11 different counties in Florida and is known for its high number of motor vehicle accidents each year. As Florida car accident attorney Adriana Gonzalez observes, “The Turnpike has a well-deserved dangerous reputation because of fast drivers, road debris, and many people vacationing in Florida who are completely unfamiliar with the road.”
Why are the Florida Turnpike and the highways on the list more dangerous than others?
It often begins but doesn’t end with traffic congestion. According to the NHTSA, traffic congestion can lead to frustration and aggressive driving behavior.
Speeding certainly doesn’t help. When we drive at excessive speeds can increase the severity of a crash and lead to more severe injuries. This is especially true where there is poor road design, as many of our highways have. Poorly designed roads can lead to blind curves, sudden speed shifts, and excessive congestion, which can cause accidents.
I remember driving on a relatively small highway that didn’t make this list – the Taconic Parkway in New York state. Completely unfamiliar with the road my first time driving it, I almost caused multiple accidents because of how absurd getting on and off the highway was in sections that had both blind turns and essentially no on-ramp. You just had your car stopped and would have to wildly accelerate to get on the Taconic – poor road design at its peak.
Finally, when we pair negligent drivers with some of these highways that don’t have optimal safety resources, roadway infrastructure, and accessible emergency medical services, the high rate of crashes on these roads should be no surprise to us. The statistics speak for themselves so it’s up to us collectively to do everything we can do to be as safe as humanly possible on our most dangerous highways.
A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the chief legal analyst for Esquire Digital and Today’s Esquire. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world. Aron has been featured in Fast Company, Fortune, Forbes, CBS News, CNBC, USA Today, ESPN, Today’s Esquire, TechCrunch, The Hill, BuzzFeed, Venture Beat, The Independent, Fortune China, Yahoo!, ABA Journal, Law.com, The Boston Globe, and many other leading publications across the globe.
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