A lot has changed over the past four years. But one thing that hasn’t is that Interstate 4, which connects Tampa and Daytona Beach, Florida, is still the deadliest highway in the U.S.
This 132.2 miles of divided highway is the only interstate that averaged more than one death per mile from 2016 to 2019, according to the latest data compiled by Teletrac Navman, a fleet management software provider. The transportation technology company recently updated its popular 2017 infographic of the 25 deadliest highways across the country.
Tracey Kretch, a product marketing manager at Teletrac Navman, said the list and infographic are a good reminder for all drivers—both professional commercial drivers and passenger car drivers—to be aware and cautious on the road.
“We’re getting in a large box of metal that’s going to go very fast down the road,” she told FleetOwner. “Sometimes we kind of forget that—we just think about getting to the next place. Focusing on paying attention and being more of an active participant in our driving experience is important.”
While vehicles of all sizes have seen technological improvements in recent years—with more collision mitigation systems for both commercial and passenger vehicles becoming prevalent—road fatalities are still among the top 15 causes of death in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In Teletrac Navman’s previous study, which was based on five years of data from 2011 to 2015, I-4 averaged 1.25 deaths per mile. In this four-year study, it is 1.134. The first four spots on the Top 25 list stayed the same over the past four years, with Interstate 45, U.S. Route 192, and Interstate 17 still ranked at the top.
After that, there was a significant shuffling of the most deadly highways in America, which are ranked based on the number of vehicle-related fatalities per mile. Ten highways fell out of the Top 25 since 2017 as more highway fatalities were recorded in the Southern U.S.
Interstate 84, which runs from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, plummeted 51 spots from No. 22 four years ago. That was the biggest statistical improvement in the study. Additionally, Interstate 78 from Pennsylvania to New York City, which had been in the top 10, dropped 30 places. Two of the longest highways in the nation, U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 40, dropped from the list.
“The more awareness that we can apply to this will let us all remain safer and hopefully everyone gets home in one piece because that’s our overarching goal,” Kretch said.
The Teletrac Navman report, which pulls from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, also analyzes the main types of collisions and where along each stretch of road the most lives were lost. Those details can be seen by enlarging the infographic.
The Top 25 deadliest roads in the U.S., along with details on the routes, death rate, deadliest city along the highway, and how the route ranked in 2017, are as follows:
I-4: Tampa, Florida, to Daytona Beach, Florida (132 miles)
Deaths per mile: 1.134
Deadliest city: Orlando
2017 ranking: 1
I-45: Galveston, Texas, to Dallas (285 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.913
Deadliest city: Houston
2017 ranking: 2
US 192: Four Corners, Florida, to Indialantic, Florida (75 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.867
Deadliest city: Kissimmee, Florida
2017 ranking: 3
I-17: Phoenix to Flagstaff, Arizona (146 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.707
Deadliest city: Phoenix
2017 ranking: 4
US 92: St. Petersburg, Florida, to Daytona Beach, Florida (177 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.706
Deadliest city: Tampa, Florida
2017 ranking: unranked
I-12: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Slidell, Louisiana (86 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.666
Deadliest city: Baton Rouge
2017 ranking: unranked
I-30: Aledo, Texas, to North Little Rock, Arkansas (367 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.646
Deadliest city: Dallas
2017 ranking: unranked
I-19: Nogales, Arizona to Tucson, Arizona (63 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.631
Deadliest city: Sahuarita, Arizona
2017 ranking: unranked
I-85: Montgomery, Alabama, to Petersburg, Virginia (666 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.613
Deadliest city: Charlotte, North Carolina
2017 ranking: 15 (+5)
I-5: San Ysidro, California, to Blaine, Washington (1,381 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.609
Deadliest city: Los Angeles
2017 ranking: 16 (+5)
1-10: Santa Monica, California, to Jacksonville, Florida (2,460 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.597
Deadliest city: Houston and El Paso, Texas (tied)
2017 ranking: 6 (-6)
I-20: Scroggins Draw, Texas, to Florence, South Carolina (1,539 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.549
Deadliest city: Dallas
2017 ranking: 14 (+1)
I-35W: Hillsboro, Texas, to Denton, Texas (85 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.528
Deadliest city: Fort Worth, Texas
2017 ranking: unranked
I-24: Pulleys Mill, Illinois, to East Ridge, Tennessee (317 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.527 deaths per mile
Deadliest city: Nashville, Tennessee
2017 ranking: unranked
I-75: Miami Lakes, Florida, to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (1,786 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.521
Deadliest city: Atlanta
2017 ranking: 11 (-5)
I-83: Baltimore to Progress, Pennsylvania (85 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.506
Deadliest city: Baltimore
2017 ranking: unranked
I-26: Kingsport, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina (305 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.496
Deadliest city: North Charleston, South Carolina
2017 ranking: 12 (-6)
I-35E: Hillsboro, Texas, to Denton, Texas (97 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.496
Deadliest city: Dallas
2017 ranking: unranked
US 199: Crescent City, California, to Grants Pass, Oregon (80 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.488
Deadliest city: Grants Pass, Oregon
2017 ranking: 13 (-7)
I-65: Mobile, Alabama, to Gary, Indiana (887 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.485
Deadliest city: Nashville, Tennessee
2017 ranking: 18 (-3)
US 17: Punta Gorda, Florida, to Winchester, Virginia (1,189 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.462
Deadliest city: Charleston, South Carolina
2017 ranking: 20 (-2)
US 11W: Knoxville, Tennessee, to Bristol, Virginia (111 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.45
Deadliest city: Kingsport, Tennessee
2017 ranking: unranked
US 175: Dallas, Texas, to Jacksonville, Florida (114 miles)
Deaths per mile: 0.447
Deadliest city: Dallas
2017 ranking: 7 (-17)
Deaths per mile: 0.446
Deadliest city: Washington, D.C.
2017 ranking: unranked
