The Intersections You Need to Watch Out For

By The Husband and Wife Law Team on October 14, 2020

When first learning to drive, you may have felt your heart rate spike when you came to an intersection. Who has the right of way? Will the other drivers let you through? What if one of them ignores the stop signs and T-bones you? As you became a little more experienced, you may have stopped worrying as much about intersections. Sadly, those new driver jitters may have been far more warranted than you realized.

The Five Worst Intersections in Phoenix

There are a number of dangerous intersections in Phoenix, as it is a fast-paced city with a high population. Due to the danger these intersections present, it may be best to avoid them, as accidents here have been fatal in the past.

The top five most dangerous intersection in Phoenix are:

• 27th Avenue and Camelback Road
• 67th Avenue and Indian School Road
• 75th Avenue and Indian School Road
• 59th Avenue and Thomas Road
• 67th Avenue and McDowell Road

These intersections have been witness to countless auto accidents, some resulting in severe and catastrophic injuries, others resulting in fatalities. It is an unfortunate reality of high traffic intersections that people must be on guard for dangerous and negligent drivers. You may be wondering, however, just what makes intersection so dangerous.

Why Intersections Are So Dangerous

All intersections, even ones that don’t see much traffic, can be incredibly dangerous. This is for a number of reasons, although it often comes down to driver error and a lack of patience. Simply put, there are many drivers out there who care more about getting to their destination than they do about driving safely. Intersections, as the area that two roads meet and cross each other, places these negligent drivers in a situation where they can choose to follow traffic laws, or they can choose to rush ahead. Sadly, many choose to rush.

Some other common causes of intersection accidents include:

Distracted driving: With cellphones becoming ever more popular, we have seen a spike in distracted driving as driver’s check for social media notifications, make phone calls, or send out texts. This kind of behavior is already dangerous on the road, but when a distracted driver comes to an intersection, they may completely miss a red light or ignore the right of way, leading to a serious accident.

Speeding: If a driver is already going at stop speeds before coming to an intersection, they may not have enough time to come to a full stop. This means that they could screech into an intersection, potentially T-boning other drivers.

Multiple points of entry: Intersections are often located in busy areas with many shops, houses, and businesses lining the street. This means that on top of having to worry about who has the right of way, drivers must also be aware of who is backing out of what driveway and give the other cars the space they need to safely maneuver.

Poor road maintenance: Sometimes no drivers are at fault for an intersection accident, and a collision was the result of a road being improperly maintained or marked, leading to confusion or a loss of control over the vehicle.

Fender-benders: You may assume that the driver illegally entering the intersection is the one at fault for any resulting collision. However, it is not uncommon for a car to be shoved forward by another car in a rear-end accident. In the event that a rear-end collision leads to an intersection accident, it is likely that the driver who caused the original accident would be the one at fault.

How ever intersection accidents happen, one fact remains the same: they are devastating. The injuries that often result from intersection accidents are debilitating and can result in lifelong disabilities. If you or a loved one have suffered from an intersection accident, call The Husband and Wife Law Team at (602) 457-6222. Our Phoenix car accident attorneys are here to help.