N.C.’s Most Dangerous Intersection Is In Asheville: Study

CHARLOTTE, NC — The most dangerous intersection in all of North Carolina is in Asheville according to a new study.

The intersection of Patton Avenue and Leicester Highway is more dangerous than any other intersection in the state, a Chicago law firm revealed this week.

Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Rubens and Kress law firm analysts determined each state's most dangerous intersection. In North Carolina, that intersection has a Walgreens drugstore, grocery store and a pawn shop, and is where the six-laned Patton Avenue and New Leicester Highway meet outside of downtown Asheville.

Patton Ave was the site of at least 94 wrecks in 2016, according to law enforcement data, WLOS reported.

The Asheville intersection was also recognized recently as one of the top 10 most dangerous intersections in the nation, and had six fatalities during a 10-year period.

The most dangerous intersection is in Bensalem, PA, according to a study by Time Magazine.

Rubens and Kress law firm in Chicago laid out America's most dangerous intersections in a map. The country's five largest cities — New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix — all have the most dangerous intersections in their states, according to NHTSA data.

The cities with the lowest number of accidents were on the East Coast, including Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Each had fewer than 10 crashes in its largest city, the data showed.

The nation's least populated state, Wyoming, is the most dangerous for drivers, with a reported 25.7 deaths for every 100,000 people, according to the NHTSA data.

The NHTSA study looked at the driver's role in deadly crashes, finding that Texas had the most speed-related fatalities in 2015, with 3,516, compared with only 23 in Washington, D.C.

A 2010 NHTSA study determined 55.7 percent of crashes were a result of distracted driving, failure to pay attention or poor visibility, and 29.2 percent were a result of a poor decision made by the driver, whether by timing or aggressive driving.

Click here for the most dangerous intersections by state.

Patch Editors Beth Dalbey and Kathleen Culliton contributed to this story.

Photo via Pixabay