(Stacker) –Intersections have long been dangerous places for motorists, and this trend is particularly pronounced in the western United States. From 2004 to 2022, more than 35,000 people lost their lives in intersection-related crashes across the Western states, an average of nearly 2,000 deaths each year.

But which intersections are the deadliest? Where are drivers most at risk?

Sam Aguiar Injury Lawyers analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find those answers. We examined every fatal crash between 2004 and 2022 to identify the intersections where the most fatal traffic crashes occurred and discover patterns among them.

Key findings:

• Nine of the ten deadliest intersections in the Western US are in Arizona (5) or California (4). The other is in Idaho.
• Arizona’s five deadliest intersections are in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and the surrounding area.
• 50% of fatal accidents occur at intersections controlled by stop signs, while only 6% occur at intersections without traffic control devices.
• Nearly half of all fatal accidents occur at intersections with stop signs, while only 6% occur at intersections without signs or control signals.
• Fatal intersection-related crashes increased nearly 50% in the Western U.S. between 2004 and 2022.

An increase in fatal accidents in the western United States

During the observation period, intersection-related fatal crashes increased in three of the four major regions of the U.S. However, no region saw a steeper increase than the West. From 2004 to 2022, the total number of intersection-related crashes in the western U.S. increased by 48%, and fatalities increased by 47% during the same period.

Below are the intersections where fatal accidents were most frequent during the observation period:

BROADWAY ROAD and SR 85 (OGLESBY RD)

Maricopa County, Arizona

• Traffic control device: stop sign
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: six
• Deaths: seven

59TH AVE and INDIAN SCHOOL RD

Maricopa County, Arizona

• Traffic control device: traffic light
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: seven

HAZEN RD and SR-85 (OGLESBY RD)

Maricopa County, Arizona

• Traffic control device: stop sign
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: seven

SR-152 and VOLTA RD

Merced County, California

• Traffic control device: stop sign
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: six

MARICOPA RD and SR-347 (N JOHN WAYNE PKWY)

Maricopa County, Arizona

• Traffic control device: None
• Intersection type: T intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: six

US-95 and NEZ PERCE RD

Nez Perce County, Idaho

• Traffic control device: stop sign
• Intersection type: T intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: five

IMPERIAL HWY and DOWNEY AVE

Los Angeles County, California

• Traffic control device: traffic light
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: five

CENTRAL AVE and 120TH ST

Los Angeles County, California

• Traffic control device: traffic light
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: five

RIGGS RD and SR-347 (N JOHN WAYNE PKWY)

Maricopa County, Arizona

• Traffic control device: traffic light
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: five
• Deaths: five

US-395 and GILL COSO RD STATION

Inyo County, California

• Traffic control device: stop sign
• Intersection Type: Four-way intersection
• Fatal accidents: four
• Deaths: seven

Data and Methodology

This analysis was based on fatal crash data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, for the years 2004 through 2022. Only crashes marked as “intersection-related” by NHTSA were considered. The Western U.S. region, as defined by the Census Bureau, includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

This story was produced by Sam Aguiar Injury Lawyers and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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