Based on a federal study, Time magazine says it is where Gwynns Falls Parkway and Reisterstown Road cross in Baltimore, according to Baltimore Patch. The second-most dangerous is in close proximity too, just outside of Philadelphia.
Precarious by nature
Of course, intersections increase the risk of motor vehicle collisions. When two or more roads cross, drivers need to use additional skills to stay safe. Whether the crossing is controlled by lights, or by stop or yield signs, or by traffic rules that kick in if the intersection is uncontrolled, drivers need to understand and follow these control mechanisms.
Add to the need for a driver’s higher level thinking the possibility of pedestrians, bicycles or motorcycles and you have the potential for confusion.
The Federal Highway Administration or FHA, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation or DOT, calls intersections “planned points of conflict” that naturally present safety concerns. Intersection accidents are common too, with the agency attributing about one-quarter of all traffic deaths and about half of traffic injuries to intersection involvement.
In particular, the agency points to the safety problems created by increased “user delay and frustration” growing from intersection congestion during high traffic times, causing traffic “inefficiency.”
In every driving situation, however, no matter how stressful, drivers are required to drive with reasonable care and in compliance with traffic laws. When driving behavior is negligent, aggressive or reckless, causing an accident that results in injury or death, the driver would be liable to the injured party or to his or her survivors in case of death in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.
Examples of dangerous driver choices at intersections include:
- Failure to yield to pedestrians
- Unsafe left turns
- Running red lights
- Missing or ignoring stop signs
- Inadequate visual monitoring of the scene
- Speeding or driving too fast for the traffic or weather conditions
Talk to a lawyer
Anyone in Maryland involved in an intersection collision should speak as soon as possible with an attorney. Legal counsel will start an investigation of the matter as quickly as possible while evidence is preserved and witness memories fresh. The lawyer will bring in an expert accident reconstructionist due to the increased complexity of an intersection crash.
