Florida State Route 9 ranked among nation's most dangerous highways

A new study by Phillips Law Firm, personal injury attorneys, has identified the most dangerous roads in America based on fatal crashes per mile over a five-year period. 

The study analyzed deadly crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) between 2018 and 2022, calculating the number of fatalities and fatal crashes per mile for highways across the country.

Michigan State Route 3 emerged as the nation's deadliest road with 75.97 fatal crashes per mile over the five-year period, nearly four times more dangerous than any other American highway. 

California State Route 14 ranked second with 17.89 fatal crashes per mile, followed by Michigan State Route 96 with 16.91. The substantial gap between the top-ranked road and the rest suggests dangerous conditions on Michigan SR-3.

Michigan's roads dominated the top rankings, with Michigan State Route 24 placing fourth with 8.83 fatal crashes. This means three of the five most dangerous roads in America are located in Michigan. 

South Carolina State Route 30 rounded out the top five with 4.59 fatal crashes per mile.

Florida State Route 9 ranked sixth with 4.46, while Texas State Route 12 followed closely with 4.34 fatal crashes per mile. Interstate highways also appeared among the most dangerous roads, with I-670 ranking eighth (3.91 fatal crashes per mile) and I-240 ranking ninth (3.79). 

Florida State Route 858 completed the top ten with 3.50 crashes per mile, making Florida the only state besides Michigan with multiple entries in the deadliest roads list.

Top 10 Deadliest Roads in America

In contrast to these dangerous roads, six US routes tied for the lowest rate with just 0.01 fatal crashes per mile: US-180, US-385, US-85, US-212, US-191, and US-83.

US-81 was found to have 0.02 fatal crashes, as did US-129, US-14, and US-18. 

Every one of the ten safest roads in America was US routes rather than state routes or interstates. 

Top 10 Safest Roads in America

A spokesperson for Phillips Law Firm said of the findings: 

"These findings reveal how road safety varies across America's highway system. The concentration of dangerous roads in specific states like Michigan and Florida suggests that factors such as road design, traffic volume, speed limits, and enforcement need reevaluation, as they may not be working.

"The massive gap between the most dangerous and safest roads should prompt transportation officials to examine what makes certain routes so much safer than others. Understanding these differences could help save lives through targeted safety improvements on our most dangerous highways."

Methodology: The most dangerous roads in the US were calculated and ranked using fatal crash data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) over the years 2018-2022.

The number of fatalities and fatal crashes per road were summed, then divided by the road length to calculate fatalities per mile and fatal crashes per mile. Roads with less than 10 crashes over the last five years were not included. Roads found not to have a recorded length were also excluded.

Full Data (Top 50 Most Dangerous Roads)