Most Dangerous Roads/Intersections in Charlotte, NC
With over 910,000 residents, Charlotte, North Carolina, has many busy roads and highways. Unfortunately, heavy traffic inevitably leads to collisions. In 2023, the city’s accident statistics noted 32,932 collisions on the most dangerous roads/intersections in Charlotte, NC. According to the state’s Crash Facts report, these mishaps killed 105 road users and injured 16,066.
These accidents weren’t random occurrences — they resulted from a combination of elements that included risky driving behaviors, road congestion, and traffic controls.
When you suffer an injury in a crash that someone else caused, a Charlotte car accident lawyer from Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers can help you seek fair compensation. Reach out today at (704) 980-9999.
How Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Accident in Charlotte, NC
The capable attorneys at Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers have over 32 years of combined legal experience representing accident victims in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our firm has successfully recovered over $35 million in compensation to help our clients pay their medical bills and living expenses after suffering injuries due to negligence and carelessness.
We can provide the following legal services when another driver’s risky or deliberate actions hurt you:
- Evaluate your case and educate you about your legal rights
- Gather evidence to prove your losses and file an insurance claim
- Negotiate a fair and adequate settlement
- File a lawsuit against the at-fault party if they fail to offer a satisfactory settlement
A car accident can result in significant financial losses and physical disabilities. Contact Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a Charlotte car accident attorney and discuss the compensation North Carolina law entitles you to pursue for your injuries.
Crash Hotspots: Why Do They Form?
The term “accident” implies that traffic crashes are random events that are unavoidable. However, many cities, including Charlotte, have adopted a different philosophy that looks at road design, traffic controls, and law enforcement as tools that can help prevent collisions. The first step is to understand where and why crashes happen.
One theory about how car accident hotspots form focuses on the combination of environment, driving behaviors, and traffic congestion. Busy roads will logically have more crashes simply because they present more opportunities for cars to collide.
However, some roads are also less forgiving of risky driving behaviors like speeding or disobeying traffic lights. As a result, a mistake that might be harmless on a sparsely traveled road might cause a devastating multi-vehicle accident on a busy one.
Cities like Charlotte use maps pinpointing crash hotspots to improve road design, tighten traffic controls, and enhance law enforcement. For example, a wide road with high speed limits might tempt drivers to travel too fast. Traffic designers can reduce speed limits and increase the number of traffic lights in areas like these to discourage drivers from speeding.
Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Charlotte
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NDOT) provides two crash maps that evince a clear pattern. These maps reveal that car accidents in Charlotte tend to cluster in the following locations:
Dangerous Intersections
One crash map shows the total frequency of crashes by intersection. It uses different colors to identify which intersections had the most crashes over the five years spanning 2019 through 2023. According to this map, the following intersections were the most dangerous in Charlotte:
- Both the north and south interchanges of I-77 and I-277
- Poplar St. and 4th St.
- Davidson St. and 12th St.
- Caldwell St. and 12th St.
- Kenilworth Ave. and Charlottetown Ave.
- Tryon St. and West Blvd.
- 7th St. and Kings Dr.
Importantly, these intersection crashes don’t just include vehicle collisions. Pedestrian accidents also occur at intersections.
Intersection accidents most often happen when a driver fails to yield the right of way to another road user. In other words, rather than waiting, the driver proceeds through the intersection, colliding with the vehicle or pedestrian that has the right of way.
Dangerous Roads
Another valuable resource for understanding collisions is the NDOT crash map, which shows fatal and serious injury crash locations. This map focuses on those crashes with enough energy to disable or kill a road user and omits low-speed crashes that occur on neighborhood streets and parking lots.
According to this map, the most dangerous roads in Charlotte include the following:
- I-77
- I-277
- US-74
- NC-16/Brookshire Fwy.
- Graham St.
- West Blvd.
- Trade St.
- 4th St.
- Tryon St.
- Central Ave.
- The Plaza
Collisions on these roads usually result from risky driving behaviors, such as distracted driving, speeding, tailgating, and changing lanes without looking. As a result, these accidents often come in the form of rear-end collisions or sideswipes.
Contact Our Charlotte, NC, Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
A car accident-related injury in Charlotte, North Carolina, can prevent you from earning a living or meeting your personal needs. Contact Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a Charlotte car accident lawyer and discover how we can help you obtain crucial financial support after your accident.