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I-45 - Most dangerous road in the U.S. (is this a "We're No. 1" moment?)

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  • TipBledsoe

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    "In the US, the Interstate 45 spanning north from Galveston to Dallas, has been shown to be the deadliest thoroughfare, with five fatal accidents for every 100 miles"

    Or 1 for every 20 miles?
    I find either extremely hard to believe.

    That doesn't tell us much of anything without knowing how often it happens, right? (edit) I guess maybe they do sort of specify frequency, if they're meaning; for EVERY car driving 100 miles there are 5 fatalities, which would be total hog wash.

    Besides that, the UK doesn't have any business nosing around in our business!
     
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    Sam7sf

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    I see more dangerous drivers on 20, 30 and 35. Lately it seems more retarded truckers causing accidents on 45.

    45 is a lot better than many roads.
     

    ZX9RCAM

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    "In the US the Interstate 45, spanning from Galveston to Dallas, has five fatal accidents for every 100 miles."

    What does this even mean?
    It doesn't say how often it does or doesn't happen.
     

    pronstar

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    Accident stats are given as fatalities per vehicle mile travelled (VMT).

    In 2020, across the entirely of the US, fatalities were 1.37 per 100 million VMT.

    I find the “5 fatalities per 100 miles” figure absolutely meaningless without more context.

    Because if it’s used as highway fatality data is typically used, it would mean every person in the US is already dead due to this highway of death.

    Honestly I think that given figure is a mistake.
    Perhaps it’s 5 per 100 million VMT, but I’m not going to assume so.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     

    Texasjack

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    It's a weird thing, but certain parts of I-45 are super dangerous for no particular reason. The stretch between say 99 and Conroe had a bunch of wrong-way, drunk drivers that killed people and it seemed like it was happening every month. For some reason, there have been fewer of the spectacular wrecks, but still plenty of small ones holding up traffic. It would be understandable if there were lots of blind spots or poor signage, but it's almost perfectly straight, well lit, well drained, and with good signage.

    Towards Houston, there is the infamous Shepherd's Curve - a nice, gentle, well-sloped curve near Shepherd Drive that maybe turns 25 degrees over the course of half a mile. EVERY stinkin' day there are wrecks on it. (Think about it: how many curves in any highway is NAMED because the traffic reports have to keep announcing problems on it?) I've gone through there at rush hour, at noon, at 3 am, and seen either wrecks or junk in the road from the last wreck. What makes people wreck there? It's confusing to me.
     

    benenglish

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    the infamous Shepherd's Curve
    Even if there's no wreck, there's always a slowdown at that point, almost any time of the day or night.
    What makes people wreck there?
    I'm guessing it's the unwarranted speed differentials. Some folks see any curve and reflexively slow down. Some folks see a gentle curve and know they don't need to slow down. Some people in that second group get irritated with the people in the first group so they start weaving in and out to get past the timid drivers. Brake checks, swerves to avoid abrupt lane changers, etc. start happening and pretty soon sheet metal smacks into sheet metal.

    General principle: Two moving points on a plane can never come into contact as long as they remain on parallel courses and at a constant speed.

    In real life, that means no auto accidents can happen if everyone stays in their lane and drives the same speed. When something upsets that balance, the potential for bad things goes up. The Shepherd Curve upsets that balance. It shouldn't but it does.
     

    Texasgordo

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    As someone who only runs 45 south of 10 once a week it seems like most of the car accidents happen north of I-10. I've seen a few bad crashes on 45 south but nothing compared to the Northside.


    I might be wrong but it's what it seems to me.
     

    45tex

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    45 is always under construction.
    It has no through lanes. If you are going from Galveston to Dallas there is no dedicated lanes all of them either just end or exit. You are forced to switch lanes and watch close or you will be forced onto some other road.
    Some idiot routed every highway through downtown Houston.
    The Houston area only has one main freeway to get in any direction. No alternate routes. No planning ever.
    Fluffy Abbott is putting toll booths on public tax paid roadways and selling the operations of the roads to the Chinese and others. With the highest toll charges in the nation. Takes away other routes.
    This list could go on for pages
     

    Coiled

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    The stats in OP's linked article can't possibly be right but I do tend to trust IIHS's data.
    I grabbed the Texas line from each category but by all means, scroll n read to your hearts content. :)



    Capture with line.jpg
     

    deemus

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    "In the US the Interstate 45, spanning from Galveston to Dallas, has five fatal accidents for every 100 miles."

    What does this even mean?
    It doesn't say how often it does or doesn't happen.


    It’s a metric conversion calculation. By a Brit, so it doesn’t have to make sense.
     

    Sam7sf

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    As someone who drove all over the metroplex for work, 45 is not the most dangerous. One could argue that just cause morons dance with death more in other areas but get lucky doesn’t mean 45 is the most dangerous. Once I hit 45 I feel safer.
     

    Army 1911

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    There's an intersection in Overland Park Kansas that had an ambulance parked at the corner in a lot 24/7. It was the world's most dangerous intersection for several decades. 75th street and Metcalf avenue.
     
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