Popular Mechanics magazine analyzes America’s highway data to determine the most dangerous highways every year. They publish a list of the top 25 most hazardous highways across the country, based on highway deaths per capita.
Several highways in Arizona made this list, and 2020 is no exception. The Leader Law Firm focuses on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. Many of our cases are from interstate crashes, often involving semi-trucks or defective roadways.
Safety measures such as cable median barriers could reduce fatalities from crossover crashes. However, the Arizona Department of Transportation has refused to recognize them as a viable safety measure.
What Arizona highways made the 2020 most dangerous highways list?
I-17 between Tucson and Nogales came in at number on the list. Heavy truck traffic, a lack of median cable barriers, and increased traffic levels contribute to many fatalities.
Coming in at number 11 is a notorious stretch of roadway that’s made the list before; I-10 between Phoenix and the California border. According to Popular Mechanics, “the 150-mile stretch from Phoenix to the California border is dangerous, with this section through lightly populated desert seeing up to 85 deaths in a single year. However, Arizona’s total state death toll is only about 700 for all roads in an average year.”
I-17 runs 145 miles from Phoenix to Flagstaff. It’s known for lengthy delays during peak travel times (and when crashes occur); I-17 was the thirteenth deadliest roadway in the U.S. Governor Ducey announced plans to widen and improve I-17 by 2023, with construction scheduled to begin in 2021.
Arizona’s population has exploded in recent years. To keep our highways safe for the public, it’s time to invest in improvements and proven safety measures.
If you’ve been involved in a highway crash in Arizona, contact the Leader Law Firm to schedule a free case consultation.
