Why Charleston Is Still One of the Most Dangerous Places to Drive

The attorneys at Johnstone & Gabhart recently compiled data on car accident statistics for West Virginia. According to the data, West Virginia is one of the most dangerous states for motorists. How is this possible? If you look closely at the data provided by the NHTSA, West Virginia’s vehicular death rate for 2016 was 1.37 (which is the rate if motor vehicle accident deaths per 100 million miles traveled). The national average is 1.16.

Luckily, the state made improvements, bringing down the rate from 1.75 in 2013 with the national average being 1.11.

Where Do Charleston and Kanawha Counties Fit In?

Compared to the rest of the state, Charleston and Kanawha counties have relatively lower traffic fatality rates. We can assume that these low vehicular fatality rates are because people in urban areas drive slower. However, dangers still lurk around the corner.

Since 2013, the Charleston Police Department reported almost 10,000 traffic incidents. Downtown Charleston and along the Kanawha River corridor had some of the highest volume of incidents. Interstate 64 trailed behind these two areas, as well as the West Virginia Turnpike and further south along I-64. Corridor G has also seen its fair share of traffic incidents.

Look out for These Dangerous Intersections in Charleston

There is also a considerable amount of data that pinpoints exactly which intersections have seen the most amount of vehicular accidents. This includes hit and runs as well as drunk driving crashes.

General Dangerous Intersections

1. Washington West & Pennsylvania Avenue | 19 accidents
2. Pennsylvania Avenue & Lee Street | 16 accidents
3. Randolph Street & Pennsylvania Avenue | 16 accidents
4. MacCorckle Avenue & 36th Street | 12 accidents
5. 31st Street SE & MacCorckle SE | 11 accidents

Most Common Hit and Run Accident Locations

1. Corridor G & Oakwood Avenue | 12 accidents
2. Patrick Street & 4th Avenue | 10 accidents
3. Lee Street W & Pennsylvania Avenue N | 9 accidents
4. Iowa Street & 7th Avenue | 6 accidents
5. Washington Street W & Breece Street | 5 accidents

The intersections were frequently the location of hit and runs for the past 5 years. According to the Charleston Police Department’s data, almost 29% of crashes in Charleston are hit and runs.

Most Common Drunk Driving Accident Locations

1. Washington Street W & Pennsylvania Avenue | 3 accidents
2. Pacific Street & Garrison Avenue | 2 accidents
3. Bigley Avenue & Pennsylvania Avenue | 2 accidents
4. Lee Street E & Bradford Street | 2 accidents
5. Park Avenue & Central Avenue | 2 accidents

Although 2% of vehicular incidents in Charleston cites alcohol impairment, over 20% of traffic fatalities are caused by driving under the influence (based on state and county data). The intersections stated above have seen recurring drunk driving accidents over the past 5 years.

We hope that with this information, more drivers will be cautious of the dangers of the roads--especially at the intersections we have outlined, where DUIs and hit and runs are more frequent. If you're curious about our heat maps, check out the rest of our article here.