An Allstate study has highlighted 10 of the most dangerous road segments in major U.S. cities. These areas see a spike in speeding and hard braking on weekends in the evenings. This is particularly relevant as Halloween falls on a Friday this year, overlapping with the high-risk driving hours. Here’s the terrifying part: a stretch of Interstate 8 in San Diego is the riskiest road in America.
Why is Interstate 8 the most dangerous road in America
Allstate analyzed driving behavior across the 50 most populous U.S. cities and identified the 10 riskiest road segments. This was based on rates of hard braking and speeding (15 mph over the posted limit).
The I-8 segment around Exit 7 to I-15 topped the list because its confusing interchanges create dangerous driving conditions. Frequent hard braking, combined with difficult merges and lane changes, makes this area prone to accidents.
The riskiest time to drive that section is Sunday through Thursday between 7 PM and 11 PM. The safest time is weekday mornings, between 6 – 9 AM.
How dangerous is it, really?
So far this year, we’ve seen over 75 crashes. Just under half of them were caused by unsafe speed, and the rest by unsafe turning or lane changes, according to California Highway Patrol.
What’s the solution?
The city of San Diego recently lowered speed limits in busy neighborhoods, streets and intersections. The aim is to reduce pedestrian traffic incidents and serious tragedies – which, unfortunately, we’ve seen more of in the past years.