Most Dangerous Roads in California Made Worse by Negligent Driving

The Scripps Howard News Service has compiled a list of the most dangerous roads in the country. The list is categorized by county, and is based on a survey of 562,712 fatal automobile accidents between 1994 and 2008. Auto accident lawyers in California will not be surprised to know that 50 percent of the list comprises of highways in California.

• The number one spot on the list is taken by I-15 in San Bernardino, California which recorded a total of 834 automobile accidents during the study period. These motor vehicle crashes accounted for 1,069 deaths.  I-15 is the only highway on the list with more than 1,000 fatalities, and has a gap of more than 500 fatalities with the next highway on the list.
• At second place on the list is I-10 in Riverside County, with a total of 440 accidents leading to 515 fatalities. I
• At number 3 is I-5 in Los Angeles County, accounting for 434 auto accidents during the study period, and contributing to 494 deaths.
• I-5 in San Diego County occupies 6^th place on the list with 348 accidents contributing to 382 deaths.
• I-10 in Los Angeles is at 8^th place on the list with 299 accidents which contributed to 327 deaths.
• I-8 in San Diego is at 12^th place on the list with 257 accidents leading to 297 fatalities.
• I-5 in Kern County is at number 14. This highway had a total of 230 automobile accidents, including 283 deaths.
• At number 16 on the list is I-40 in San Bernardino County. There were a total of 221 accidents here, contributing to 280 fatalities.
• At number 18 on the list is I-15 in Riverside County, with a number of 237 accidents contributing to 271 fatalities.
• At number 20 is I-10 in San Bernardino County. There were a total of 218 accidents here, contributing to a total of 252 deaths.

The other spots on the list are occupied by

• I-10 in Maricopa, Arizona with 382 accidents and a total of 466 deaths
• I-15 in Clark County, Nevada with a total of 390 accidents contributing to 466 deaths
• I-95 in Palm Beach, Florida with a total of 327 accidents contributing to 368 deaths
• I-45 in Harris County, Texas accounting for 288 accidents and contributing to 320 deaths
• I-95 in Brevard, Florida accounting for 244 accidents leading to 301 deaths
• I-94 in Clark County, Illinois with a total of 271 accidents leading to 301 deaths
• I-10 in Harris County, Texas with 246 accidents which led to 283 deaths
• I-95 in Broward County, Florida with 256 accidents and a total of 276 deaths
• I-35 in Dallas, Texas with 249 accidents and a total of 271 deaths

If you drill down further into highway accidents in Orange County, you will see that I-5 had the highest number of accidents at 2006 with a total of 237 fatalities. The Scripps Report also includes a breakdown of the fatalities by driver behaviors like drunk driving, speeding and failure to wear seatbelts. For instance, out of the 237 fatalities on I-5 between 1994 and 2008, 27.7 percent involved alcohol, 52.4 percent involved a speeding motorist and 42.2 percent involved failure to wear seatbelts.
What this shows is that many of these dangerous highways may be hampered not just by a defective design and construction, but also by negligent and risky driving behaviors that increase the risk of an accident.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of dangerous highways. Please visit our website at robertreeveslaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.
The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.
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