State Farm Names Texas’ Worst Intersections-One Makes U.S. Top 10 List
An intersection in Frisco, Texas, near Dallas, made State Farm Insurance Company’s list of the 10 most dangerous intersections in the U.S. The intersection at State Highway 121 and Preston Road in Frisco was number eight on the list. Although Frisco can take consolation in the fact that it does not have the worst intersection in the U.S. – that honor went to Pembroke Pines, Fla.; however, the north Texas crossroads topped the list of the state’s most dangerous intersections.
An Addison intersection, Belt Line Road at Midway Road, grabbed the number two spot on State Farm’s list of Texas’ five most dangerous intersections. The other “most dangerous” Texas intersections were State Highway 6 at Westheimer Road in Houston, U.S. Highway 183 and FM 620 in Austin, and Frankford Road at Midway Road in Dallas.
According to a study conducted by State Farm, the Flamingo Road at Pines Boulevard intersection in Pembroke Pines, about 20 miles north of Miami, is the nation’s most treacherous intersection, based on data from claims-resulting crashes at hundreds of thousands of U.S. intersections. In compiling the list, State Farm took into account the number of crashes at various intersections and the percentage of vehicles insured by the company in areas where the intersections are located. The number of crashes involving injury and the severity of those crashes was also considered.
Other cities with dangerous intersections included Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa, Okla., each with two intersections on the list. Metairie, La.; Sacramento, Calif; and Frisco, had one apiece.
State Farm’s survey updated one it compiled two years ago, and contains some good news. None of the intersections previously cited were on this year’s list, as local officials had taken action to improve safety. The company said it conducted the study with a focus on evaluating intersection design by analyzing driver behavior and placing greater emphasis on safety-driven solutions to intersection problems. This year, State Farm will make $5 million available to communities to study and, in some cases, make physical changes to enhance safety at specific intersections.