Automobile crashes can occur on any street, road or highway within the US, but some are statistically more dangerous than others.
So, as nearly 50 million Americans prepare to go home after Thanksgiving, it’s necessary to know where it is best to take extra precautions to make sure you arrive safely.
Here’s an inventory compiled by AAA of a number of the most dangerous roads in America.
Million Dollar Highway, Colorado
Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway offers a number of the most breathtaking views within the country, nevertheless it’s not for the faint of heart. Winding through Red Mountain Pass within the San Juan Mountains, the Million Dollar Highway climbs 11,000 feet above sea level and has cliffs and hairpin turns.
The Million Dollar Highway is officially often called US Route 550, but in keeping with local legend, it got its name after a girl said she would must be paid $1 million to drive it again.
AAA says once you mix in a few of Colorado’s harsh weather, the Million Dollar Highway is one of the crucial dangerous roads in America, in keeping with a list compiled by USA Today.
US Route 1, Florida
AAA says Florida doesn’t have a ban on using a handheld cellular phone while driving, and research looked into deaths on US Route 1 between 2015 and 2019 and located Florida’s section of the highway is one in every of the deadliest roads in America.
In total, 87 people died between those years.
The south end of the highway, often called the Overseas Highway, connects Miami to the Florida Keys and consists of miles of bridges many individuals find unnerving, in keeping with AAA.
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Louisiana
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge over water at 24 miles long.
And once you get to the center of the bridge, where there’s no land in sight, many individuals get nervous – especially when the causeway becomes enveloped in fog. AAA says that sometimes the fog becomes so thick that local police must escort drivers across the bridge.
I-4, Florida
AAA says Interstate 4 between Daytona Beach and Tampa, Florida, was once the deadliest highway in America, with roughly 1.41 deaths per mile on the highway.
In line with AAA, this may very well be since the highway runs all through Orlando, which is a hotspot for tourists seeking to visit Walt Disney World, Universal Studios or other attractions.
I-45, Texas
Interstate 45 in Texas is incredibly congested, and AAA says the Galveston-to-Dallas section of the highway was recently named the deadliest road in America by Budget Direct.
They found that I-45 averages about 56.5 fatal crashes for each 100 miles of highway, noting that heavy traffic and driver complacency are accountable.
I-10, Arizona
Interstate 10 runs from Jacksonville, Florida, to Santa Monica, California, but AAA says the stretch of highway running through Arizona is incredibly dangerous.
It’s because the highway cuts through the desert, which results in drivers speeding and driving aggressively.
Nearly 500 people were killed on I-10 in Arizona over a six-year period.
I-15, Nevada and California
The 181-mile stretch of Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles isn’t dangerous due to road conditions – it’s due to the drivers on the highway.
Actually, one study checked out data over a 15-year period and located it to be the deadliest road in America.
It’s because drivers often speed while traveling through the Mojave Desert, they usually’re likely coming or going from the joy in Las Vegas. That very same study found about one-quarter of crashes on that section of roadway involved a drunk driver.
I-285, Georgia
Interstate 285 in Georgia known as “The Perimeter” since the 64-mile loop encompasses the town of Atlanta. As well as, AAA says that the highway connects all the opposite major highways within the region, resulting in congested roadways.
AAA says Vox calculated the road’s fatality rate and located it was 3.5 deaths for each 10 miles, which, on the time of the study in 2015, was the country’s deadliest interstate.
US Route 17, South Carolina
Route 17 in South Carolina is one of the crucial scenic and breathtaking drives you may absorb the Southeast, nevertheless it’s also dangerous.
AAA says the road is full of sharp turns and narrow lanes, and there’s also quite a lot of wildlife that results in a driving hazard once they cross the road.
One study named US 17 in South Carolina one of the crucial dangerous roads in America throughout the summer.
James Dalton Highway, Alaska
The James Dalton Highway was constructed in 1974 and stretches 414 miles through Alaska’s wilderness from Fairbanks to Deadhorse.
The road is especially used to move oil and cuts through a few of Alaska’s most treacherous terrain.
You will have heard of this highway before, too. Driving on this road is so dangerous that it was the main focus of the TV show “Ice Road Truckers.”
Along with the road cutting through forests, steep hills and the Yukon River, what makes this road so dangerous is its remoteness, in keeping with AAA.
There are only three towns along your complete 414-mile route, which incorporates a 240-mile stretch with none gas stations or rest stops.
Highway 2, Montana
Montana’s Highway 2 stretches east to west across the northern end of the state and maintains a 70-mph speed limit – even when winding through some mountainous regions.
Meaning you’re distant from any help do you have to need it.
In 2021, the common EMS response time in Montana was about 45 minutes, and that number climbs when EMS staff must travel on Highway 2, in keeping with AAA.
Road to Hana, Hawaii
You may think you’re in paradise once you’re in Hawaii and driving on Maui’s Road to Hana, but you need to watch out.
The 52-mile road connects Kahului to Hana on the eastern shoreline and offers beautiful views of mountaintops, forests and waves crashing on the shore.
But along the way in which, you’ll also come across 620 turns and 59 narrow bridges, in keeping with AAA. It may take drivers anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to make the journey, and Hawaii’s tourism authority recommends drivers travel with a permitted tour company quite than making the drive themselves.