10 Of The Most Dangerous Highways In The U.S.

Pretty much everyone who owns a car in the U.S. has driven down a highway at least once in their life. Without getting into semantics such as the difference between highways and freeways, these long roads are how you can cross entire states in just a couple of days or less. Unfortunately, their convenience also makes them risky, as the millions of daily trips involving them are sure to lead to a few accidents. Certain highways even have a reputation for being some of the most dangerous to drive on.

In this instance, dangerous doesn't just mean a lot of deaths have occurred on one particular highway — although that's certainly one factor at play. Crashes and accidents without fatalities still deserve consideration, seeing as how they can lead to some nasty injuries and a hard hit to your insurance. The frequency of these crashes also matters a lot, since a driver using one of these highways daily will only increase their chances of getting into one. Of course, just because a highway is dangerous doesn't mean you're guaranteed to end up in a bad situation on it, but some extra care will go a long way on these 10 roads.

Although the I-5 spans pretty much all of the western U.S., it has gained a reputation in Washington as one of the deadliest highways in that state. Across the last 10+ years, this highway has suffered from over 240 crashes, with more than 70 of them occurring in the deadliest 10-mile stretch. Its number of fatalities is about the same, though it doesn't suffer from as many as other highways annually. Things still don't look good when an average of 26 people end up losing their lives on the I-5 every year, but those numbers are nothing compared to some roads in other states.

One particularly notable accident on the I-5 involved a dust storm in 1991. A total of 164 cars ended up in a crash thanks to the low visibility conditions this storm created. Interestingly, while the dangers of this highway are mostly known in Washington, this incident occurred in California. The Washington part of the I-5 hasn't been through anything similar, but the common occurrence of crashes in more recent times has continued to keep it labelled as a relatively dangerous road.

Like the I-5, the I-75 has gained a reputation for danger primarily thanks to its status in one specific area. It holds the 10 deadliest miles of any highway in Michigan, with nearly 80 crashes occurring from 2000 to 2019. Unlike the I-5, though, its danger ends up stretching a bit further down the road, mainly thanks to icing over during winter. Heavy truck traffic in Florida has also led to some trouble for the I-75, contributing to 237 fatalities across its entire stretch (from the Great Lakes to Florida) in 2019.

With how much danger comes from the highway's condition in winter, it might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on ways to avoid winter car troubles. Preparing your tires and windshield for the cold weather is essential to staying safe in the northern parts of a highway like the I-75. In the southern areas, you'll likely want to take a closer look at car brands with the best safety ratings. Even if you end up in a bad spot with a heavier vehicle, an exceptionally safe car is more likely to come out of that spot with minimal risks.

The I-15's reputation for danger actually comes from two states rather than one. In both Utah and Nevada, more crashes have occurred within 10 miles on the I-15 than any other highway crossing those regions. For Nevada, the number is as high as 60, though Utah manages to keep things lower with 37. Things still don't look too great when you just check its data from one recent year, as nearly 160 fatalities occurred across the I-15 in 2019 alone. During that year, at least 11 people lost their lives across every 100 miles of this road.

In recent years, the I-15 has been noted as an especially dangerous road for truckers. In this case, many drivers have put blame on those joining them on the highway rather than the highway itself, with alcohol abuse and excessive speed being commonly-reported problems. While Nevada and Utah aren't particularly known for issues with drunk driving, the I-15 also crosses through Montana, which has been recently reported as one of the worst states when it comes to drivers being inebriated.

Depending on who you ask, the I-20 is a top contender for a highway you want to avoid at all costs. It ended up with over 200 fatalities in 2019, and it takes the 10 deadliest miles crown in three different states: Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. In each of the three states, at least 50 people lost their lives within 10 miles of each other on the highway. Some people even go as far as to call it the deadliest highway in Georgia, surpassing other routes and roads that also have a high number of crashes.

As for why the I-20 is so dangerous, some have noted issues with high volumes of traffic, incidents of road rage, a lack of decent signage, and inadequate lighting at night. Those who end up on this highway during the late hours will want to keep track of ways to improve visibility when driving at night. Otherwise, if your headlights go out, there might not be enough lighting nearby to warn you of an imminent accident.

The I-35 shares some of the same risk factors as the I-20, namely in taking the 10 deadliest miles title in three different states. However, the differences go a little further than that, as this highway's presence in Iowa and Kansas still leaves it with a relatively low number of fatalities — 29 in Iowa and 34 in Kansas. The problems lie in Texas, where it had the most fatal crashes within 10 miles of any highway in the U.S. between 2000 and 2019. Over 140 were recorded across this time, making this short portion of road exceptionally threatening.

A big reason for this danger is due to population density. The I-35 covers Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, which are three of the most populated cities in all of America. With such a large number of cars on a single highway, it's no wonder that so many crashes would occur on it.

Unfortunately, the I-35 isn't the only road Texas has to worry about. The U.S. 83, one of the few roads on this list to not be an interstate highway, ends up as the most dangerous highway in Texas with an average of 34 fatalities annually. Over the past decade, its number of crashes exceeded 260, with only a handful of other roads managing to surpass it. From a period covering 2015 to 2019, it even ended up having an average of nearly 140 deaths per 100 fatal crashes, with Webb County being where most of these crashes occurred.

Outside of running right through the heart of Texas, there aren't many aspects about the U.S. 83 that make its danger very obvious to the average driver. Even so, it continues to maintain a pretty bad reputation, with at least one death occurring almost every other week on this road. It could be that the cause of its danger actually ends up being the opposite of the I-35's, as this highway covers a lot of areas with really low populations. This means fewer cars to worry about, which could lead to more temptation to speed down the seemingly empty roads, potentially resulting in a high-speed crash that could otherwise have been avoided.

Although it has an iconic truck stop to check out if you're taking a road trip across the U.S., the I-80 might be a highway you'll want to avoid. It ends up covering a moderate number of average annual fatalities across five different states, with Nebraska and Wyoming each claiming over 20. In 2019, its total number of fatalities reached over 200, and it takes the crown for having the 10 deadliest miles in both Nevada and Pennsylvania with over 60 deaths in each. But the danger ends up going beyond these more relevant states, as the highway is currently in a state of disrepair.

As late as March 2025, sections of the I-80 were closed down in New Jersey due to needing repairs for sinkholes. The state of the highway has ended up being so bad that the mayor had to call a state of emergency at the time, marking it definitively as a road too dangerous to drive on in the first place. These sinkholes have plagued the New Jersey highway for many years, making it difficult to tell if they'll ever be completely solved. Considering that the I-80 isn't even New Jersey's deadliest road, it leads to reasonable concern over the conditions of the roadways in that state.

Some might know the I-40 as the highway where one of the fastest cannonball run records was set. Others might know it as one of the highways with the most annual fatalities, with its presence in Tennessee alone accounting for 52 deaths on average. In Arizona and New Mexico, that number goes to 35 and 40, respectively, but where things get exceptionally worrying are in its 2019 statistics. In just that year, the highway was one of the few to suffer from over 1,000 fatal crashes across multiple states.

There are a lot of factors that make the I-40 exceptionally dangerous. Population density, excessive speeding, and numerous hills and windy stretches of road have led to some very problematic driving conditions. Considering the unexpected cost of advanced car safety systems, many drivers might not have the money to offset these issues, forcing themselves into greater risks simply because they have no other choice. If that's something you have to worry about, it might be best to avoid the I-40 altogether if there are any alternate roads.

Without question, the U.S. 1 is one of the most dangerous routes in the country. With 108 annual fatalities on average and over 1,000 deaths across the last decade, the sole saving grace of this highway is the fact that most of its risk begins and ends in Florida. While fatalities also occur in Maryland and Maine, the annual numbers don't surpass 15, actually making it relatively safe in those states. If it weren't for the effect Florida has on the data, the U.S. 1 wouldn't even be considered for this list.

In recent years, efforts have been made to bring down the number of crashes in other states, with Philadelphia adding speed cameras to the route to discourage dangerous driving. Things remain risky in Florida, though, which isn't helped by the fact that this highway ends up crossing the ocean. In other words, if you end up off the road, you sure aren't going to get back on it anytime soon.

The title of the deadliest interstate is a bit more competitive compared to the most dangerous route, but the I-95 is certainly a strong contender. It suffered from the most fatalities in 2019 at over 280, and 24 people lost their lives in just a single mile on it between 2000 and 2019. It also takes the crown for containing Florida's 10 deadliest miles, with 132 fatal crashes and 135 deaths from 2000 to 2019. At least in terms of frequency, the I-95 is an especially crash-prone highway.

The I-95 shares a lot of its risks with other dangerous roads like the I-40, but its length is one notable cause thanks to a lack of sufficient rest areas. Some of these crashes aren't even the fault of the highway, with Ford's answer to autopilot falling under federal investigation after crash deaths on the I-95. Those examples are particularly rare, but they show how risky a road can be even when not taking reckless drivers or perilous terrain into account. The size of a long highway like this one is an understated danger, as fatigue could end up getting you into a fatal situation just as easily as other drivers could.