The Most Dangerous Road in America Runs Right Through Maine, New Hampshire, & Massachusetts
When you think about dangerous roads, you probably imagine twisty back roads or that road in California that snakes its way along a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Right?
So, it will probably surprise you that the most dangerous road in the United States runs right through Augusta and Waterville.
According to The Zebra, Interstate 95 was the most deadly road in America in 2019. According to data from the NHTSA, there were 284 fatalities on the road in 2019. That equates to almost 15 fatalities per 100 miles of road.
As you may know, I-95 stretches from Houlton, Maine to Miami, Florida. The highway runs through many major metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Miami.
It should not be a big surprise that many of those fatal crashes happened near those large cities, where there is a lot of traffic. However, in the winter, Maine and New Hampshire did see a significant number of fatal accidents. These accidents were caused by people driving in inclement weather.
As much as we are used to driving in snow, sleet, and freezing rain, we still have to admit that travel in those conditions can be dangerous. Do you remember the massive pile-up we had a few years ago? It happened on I-95 near the Newport exit. The crashes (yes, multiple) involved dozens of vehicles. Fortunately, in that case, there were no fatalities and very few serious injuries.
Other dangerous roads include I-20, I-5, I-75, I-35, I-40, and I-70.
Keep in mind that this data is from 2019, so the lack of traffic in Boston, New York, and similar cities during the pandemic could have made I-95 slightly less deadly.
Regardless, please be safe on our roads.
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Gallery Credit: Katherine Gallagher