In a recent article the Arizona Republic studied collision reports from the Arizona Department of Transportation and compiled a list of the top ten intersections to have a car crash. The article, titled “10 Most Crash-Prone Intersections in Metro Phoenix,” listed the intersections' average drivers per day, injuries, and number of crashes. At our Phoenix personal injury law office many of the cases we see are the result of mishaps in dangerous intersections. The high collision rates of these, and many others, intersections has much to do with the high traffic volume coupled with a large amount of pedestrians. Several of the top crash-prone intersections are used as alternate routes to freeways and are located near schools, shopping centers, and high-density neighborhoods. Most of the top ten listed in the article are located in the west valley lying west of the Interstate 17 and east of the loop 101. Experts at the Maricopa Association of Governments are unable to explain why this might be.

Valley cities have been making changes in recent years to help remedy the situation. They have exchanged traffic signals for larger, more visible ones as well as installed countdowns, some audible for the visually impaired, at crosswalks and enhanced the font on signs. 59th avenue and Olive in Glendale made the top of the most crash-prone list with 68 collisions and 30 injured in 2013. The city is working towards a solution by painting boxes that make cars stop farther from the light and is staggered for each lane; the traffic signal has been changed to allow left turns only at time specific intervals. The future plans for the intersection are to build a bus bay and install medians.

The issue that Glendale and many other valley cities face is the allotment of funds to improve intersection safety. The majority of funding for these sorts of projects comes from federal dollars. The Arizona Department of Transportation distributes federal monies to local agencies and those agencies in turn pay for the developments. Limited funding cuts down on traffic-safety projects causing cities to have to pick and choose which safety measures to apply and what intersections are most in need.

For the complete list of the top 10 most crash prone intersections and other ways intersection safety can be improved use the following link:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/glendale/2014/09/12/phoenix-valley-glendale-where-accidents-intersections/15543109/