The 10 Deadliest Interstates in America
October 26, 2016
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that traffic fatalities have increased 10.4 percent during the first six months of 2016 compared to the same time period in 2015. The increase may be the result of a stronger economy, lower gas prices and more drivers on the road—but the upsurge is likely indicative of more than that. Distracted driving is truly an epidemic in America, and this percentage is yet another reminder that our driving habits need to change.
An earlier study this year found that drivers are distracted more than half the time they’re behind the wheel, and our more recent study found that 61 percent of drivers use their cell phones on some drives, most drives or every drive.
On average, Americans spend 293 hours driving approximately 10,900 miles each year, leaving room for a lot of potential accidents especially when driving distracted. A portion of that time is spent on interstates driving to work, on road trips or visiting friends or family. Considering that there are over 70 interstates in the United States, we took a look at the most dangerous interstates in America, based on fatalities per mile. This analysis used raw data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Report System from 2010 through 2015 and found fatality rates based on highway lengths.
The data was then compared to the data from EverQuote’s safe-driving app, EverDrive, representing over 6 million trips and 80 million miles of driving. Here are our findings.
The 10 Deadliest Interstates in America
(Based on Fatalities Per Mile, Collectively from 2010–2015)
1. Interstate 4
- 132 miles
- 1.41 fatalities per mile
- In Top 10: 6 times
Interstate 4 runs from Tampa to Daytona Beach, Florida. The 132-mile highway connects from I-275 to I-95, and has had 1.41 fatalities per mile in the past six years, making it the most dangerous interstate in the United States. The highway has also been in the top 10 most dangerous interstates for the past six years.
2. Interstate 45
- 285 miles
- 1.24 fatalities per mile
- In Top 10: 5 times
Interstate 45 is located entirely in Texas and connects Dallas and Houston, before running south to the Gulf of Mexico. The 285-mile highway has had 1.24 fatalities per mile in the past 6 years, making it the second most dangerous interstate in America. The highway was in the top 10 of most dangerous interstates five times in the past six years.
3. Interstate 17
- 146 miles
- 1.03 fatalities per mile
- In Top 10: 6 times
Interstate 17 runs 146 miles within the state of Arizona from Phoenix to Flagstaff. The highway has had 1.03 fatalities per mile in the past six years and the majority of the road is known as the Arizona Veterans Highway. I-17 was also in the top 10 most dangerous interstates every year for the past six years.
4. Interstate 30
- 367 miles
- 1.03 fatalities per mile
- In Top 10: 5 times
Interstate 30 runs west of Fort Worth, Texas through Dallas to North Little Rock in Arkansas, where it connects to I-40. The 367-mile highway has had 1.03 deaths per mile in the past 6 years, making it the 4th most dangerous interstate in America. The interstate has been in the top 10 most dangerous interstates five times in the past six years.
5. Interstate 95
- 1926 miles
- 0.89 fatalities per mile
- In Top 10: 6 times
Interstate 95 runs 1926 miles from Miami, Florida to Houlton, Maine. The highway is the 5th most dangerous interstate in the United States with 0.89 fatalities per mile. It has been in the top 10 for fatalities each year for the past six years.
6. Interstate 19
- 64 miles
- 0.88 fatalities per mile
- In Top 10: 4 times
Interstate 19 runs 64 miles from Nogales to Tucson, Arizona at I-10. The highway has had 0.88 fatalities per mile in the past six years, making it the 6th most dangerous interstate in the United States. It has been in the top 10 most dangerous interstates four times in the past six years.
7. Interstate 10
- 2460 miles
- 0.85 fatalities per mile
Interstate 10 runs 2460 miles from Santa Monica, California to Jacksonville, Florida. The highway is the 7th most dangerous interstate in the country with 0.85 fatalities per mile and the longest interstate on this list. I-10 has been in the top 10 most dangerous interstates for the past six years.
8. Interstate 37
- 143 miles
- 0.8 fatalities per mile
Interstate 37 is located within Texas and runs 143 miles from Corpus Christi to San Antonio. The highway has had 0.8 fatalities per mile during the past six years, making it the 8th most dangerous interstate in the United States.
9. Interstate 26
- 306 miles
- 0.8 fatalities per mile
Interstate 26 runs 306 miles from Kingsport, Tennessee to Charleston, South Carolina. The highway has had 0.8 fatalities per mile during the past six years, making it the 9th most dangerous interstate in America.
10. Interstate 97
- 18 miles
- 0.79 fatalities per mile
Interstate 97 is one of the shortest interstates in the country (there are only two in Hawaii that run shorter). I-97 runs only 18 miles from Annapolis to Baltimore, Maryland and yet it is the 10th most dangerous interstate in the United States with 0.79 fatalities per mile in the past six years.
Why are these interstates so lethal?
While it’s difficult to say for sure what impacts these crashes, there are some commonalities between the most lethal interstates, including high traffic volume, risky driving habits and a lack of state distracted driving legislation. Many of these highways are busy commuter routes through cities. Others may have higher overall speed limits. Geography may also influence traffic fatalities.
Here are some similarities discovered between the most dangerous states: Florida, Texas and Arizona.
Florida: Three of the most dangerous interstate highways run through the state of Florida (I-4, I-95, I-10). Our EverDrive data found that Florida drivers use their phone on average 1.4 phone uses per trip and the state ranks 2nd worst nationally for phone use while driving. In Florida, the distracted driving law is only a secondary offense so drivers cannot be pulled over unless another violation is committed.
Texas: Two of the most dangerous interstate highways are located entirely within the state of Texas (I-45 and I-30) and two pass through the state (I-10, I-37). Our EverDrive data found that Texas drivers use their phones on average 1.35 phone uses per trip and the state ranks 21st worst nationally for phone use while driving. Texas has no statewide distracted driving laws and is one of only four states that has yet to initiate a ban. The highway speed limit on I-45 also increased to 75 mph in 2012.
Arizona: Three of the most dangerous interstate highways run through Arizona (I-17, I-19, I-10). Our EverDrive data found that Arizona drivers use their phones on average 1.1 phone use per trip and the state ranks 7th worst nationally for phone use while driving. Arizona, like Texas, has no statewide distracted driving laws and is one of only four states that has yet to pass a ban.
Many of these interstates are the busiest in the country, and are listed as the most travelled urban highways. Interstate 45, Interstate 10 and Interstate 95 all have high average annual daily traffic (AADT)—310,662, 289,000 and 325,495 respectively.
The roads are becoming increasingly dangerous out there. Drive safe and please, put the phones down.
Photo courtesy of Google Maps.