The deadliest intersections in the Western United States

(Stacker) -Intersections have long been dangerous spots for motorists, and this trend is particularly pronounced in the Western United States. From 2004 through 2022, over 35,000 people lost their lives in intersection-related crashes across the Western states—an average of nearly 2,000 fatalities 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 from 2004 to 2022 to identify the intersections where the most fatal traffic collisions have occurred and to uncover patterns among them.

Key Findings:

Nine of the ten deadliest intersections in the Western U.S. are located in either Arizona (5) or California (4). The other is in Idaho.

All five of the deadliest intersections in Arizona are found in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its surrounding areas.

Nearly half of all fatal crashes occur at stop sign intersections, while only 6% occur at intersections with no control signals or signs.

Fatal intersection-related crashes increased by nearly 50% in the Western U.S. from 2004 to 2022.

A Surge in Fatal Crashes in the Western United States During the observation period, intersection-related fatal crashes increased in three out of four major U.S. regions. However, no region saw a sharper increase than the West. From 2004 to 2022, the total number of intersection-related crashes in the Western U.S. increased by 48%, with fatalities rising by 47% during the same period.

Below are the intersections where fatal crashes 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 Crashes: Six

Fatalities: Seven

Maricopa County, Arizona

Traffic Control Device: Traffic Light

Intersection Type: Four-Way Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Seven

HAZEN RD and SR-85 (OGLESBY RD)Maricopa County, Arizona

Traffic Control Device: Stop Sign

Intersection Type: Four-Way Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Seven

SR-152 and VOLTA RDMerced County, California

Traffic Control Device: Stop Sign

Intersection Type: Four-Way Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Six

MARICOPA RD and SR-347 (N JOHN WAYNE PKWY)Maricopa County, Arizona

Traffic Control Device: None

Intersection Type: T-Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Six

US-95 and NEZ PERCE RDNez Perce County, Idaho

Traffic Control Device: Stop Sign

Intersection Type: T-Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Five

IMPERIAL HWY and DOWNEY AVELos Angeles County, California

Traffic Control Device: Traffic Light

Intersection Type: Four-Way Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Five

CENTRAL AVE and 120TH STLos Angeles County, California

Traffic Control Device: Traffic Light

Intersection Type: Four-Way Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Five

RIGGS RD and SR-347 (N JOHN WAYNE PKWY)Maricopa County, Arizona

Traffic Control Device: Traffic Light

Intersection Type: Four-Way Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Five

Fatalities: Five

US-395 and GILL STATION COSO RDInyo County, California

Traffic Control Device: Stop Sign

Intersection Type: Four-Way Intersection

Fatal Crashes: Four

Fatalities: 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 flagged as "intersection-related" by the 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.