Summer is usually the perfect opportunity to go on a long drive with the windows down and the radio on.
With COVID-19 still surging in the United States many Americans are skipping summer vacations, especially those that require airline travel, and opting for road trips and outings closer to home.
That doesn’t mean taking a road trip doesn’t come with its own set of risks — peak travel season almost always comes with an increase in auto-accidents, especially on busy major highways.
Security research firm A Secure Life looked at three years of traffic data from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find the most dangerous highway in every state for summer travel.
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A closer look at stand-out hazardous highways
Florida’s highway hazard numbers were a standout between the years conducted in the data collection. Ranking 21st in the largest area-based states, the summer months between 2015 and 2017 saw 440 traffic-related fatalities.
The I-10, a highway in Florida, holds the record for the most summer deaths between those three years at 160, and the I-95 also running through Florida had the most deaths in eight states.
Brooks Law Group found in a recent study that drugs and alcohol were responsible for 1,020 deaths in a recent year. In 2018 alone, there were 270 vehicle-related deaths on four major national highways that run through Florida: Interstate 75, Interstate 4, US 41 and US 47.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
The speed limit plays a role in fatality risks
Texas holds the record for the highest national speed limits, with limits of up to 85 mph on some roads. In fact, 41 states have maximum speed limits of 70 mph or higher, with six of those having limits of 80 mph according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
With speed limits increasing annually for 30 years, IIHS found that speed limit increases of 5 mph have been associated with an 8% increase with interstate and highway-related deaths.
If you’re headed out on a road trip anytime soon, be sure to use extra caution on these highways.
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Alabama
Deadliest highway: I-65
Fatalities: 83
Second deadliest highway: I-59
Fatalities: 48
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Alaska
Deadliest highway: SR-1 Glenn Hwy.
Fatalities: 13
Second deadliest highway: SR-1 Seward Hwy.
Fatalities: 7
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Arizona
Deadliest highway: I-10
Fatalities: 100
Second deadliest highway: I-40
Fatalities: 51
Image Credit: Davel5957/istockphoto.
Arkansas
Deadliest highway: I-40-33
Fatalities: 6
Second deadliest highway: I-555-080
Fatalities: 6
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
California
Deadliest highway: I-5
Fatalities: 192
Second deadliest highway: US-101
Fatalities: 139
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Colorado
Deadliest highway: I-25
Fatalities: 60
Second deadliest highway: I-70
Fatalities: 51
Image Credit: haveseen / iStock.
Connecticut
Deadliest highway: US-6
Fatalities: 24
Second deadliest highway: I-95
Fatalities: 22
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Delaware
Deadliest highway: SR-1 Coastal Hwy.
Fatalities: 8
Second deadliest highway: SR-24 Laurel Rd.
Fatalities: 5
Image Credit: iStock.
District of Columbia
Deadliest highway: Suitland Pkway. SE
Fatalities: 3
Second deadliest highway: Northbound Rock Creek Pkwy.
Fatalities: 2
Image Credit: dkfielding.
Florida
Deadliest highway: US-1
Fatalities: 160
Second deadliest highway: I-95
Fatalities: 158
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Georgia
Deadliest highway: I-75
Fatalities: 111
Second deadliest highway: I-20
Fatalities: 55
Image Credit: Pixabay.com.
Hawaii
Deadliest highway: SR-93
Fatalities: 14
Second deadliest highway: SR-11
Fatalities: 11
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Idaho
Deadliest highway: I-84
Fatalities: 45
Second deadliest highway: US-95
Fatalities: 42
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Illinois
Deadliest highway: I-57
Fatalities: 39
Second deadliest highway: I-55
Fatalities: 37
Image Credit: benkrut / iStock.
Indiana
Deadliest highway: I-70
Fatalities: 17
Second deadliest highway: I-65
Fatalities: 15
Image Credit: f11photo.
Iowa
Deadliest highway: I-80
Fatalities: 26
Second deadliest highway: SR-2
Fatalities: 13
Image Credit: Maksymowicz / iStock.
Kansas
Deadliest highway: I-70
Fatalities: 35
Second deadliest highway: US-54
Fatalities: 24
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Kentucky
Deadliest highway: US-27
Fatalities: 45
Second deadliest highway: US-60
Fatalities: 41
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Louisiana
Deadliest highway: I-10
Fatalities: 70
Second deadliest highway: I-20
Fatalities: 33
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Maine
Deadliest highway: I-95
Fatalities: 15
Second deadliest highway: US-201
Fatalities: 6
Image Credit: Mak_photo / iStock.
Maryland
Deadliest highway: I-95
Fatalities: 32
Second deadliest highway: US-1
Fatalities: 24
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Massachusetts
Deadliest highway: I-495 N
Fatalities: 18
Second deadliest highway: I-495 S
Fatalities: 15
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Michigan
Deadliest highway: I-94
Fatalities: 41
Second deadliest highway: I-75
Fatalities: 38
Image Credit: Bobak Ha’Eri/wikimedia.org.
Minnesota
Deadliest highway: US-169
Fatalities: 27
Second deadliest highway: I-94
Fatalities: 20
Image Credit: Willard / iStock.
Mississippi
Deadliest highway: I-55
Fatalities: 58
Second deadliest highway: US-49
Fatalities: 27
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Missouri
Deadliest highway: I-70
Fatalities: 60
Second deadliest highway: I-44
Fatalities: 42
Image Credit: eyecrave.
Montana
Deadliest highway: I-90
Fatalities: 24
Second deadliest highway: US-2
Fatalities: 21
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Nebraska
Deadliest highway: I-80
Fatalities: 42
Second deadliest highway: US-81
Fatalities: 16
Image Credit: wellesenterprises / iStock.
Nevada
Deadliest highway: I-15
Fatalities: 27
Second deadliest highway: I-80
Fatalities: 25
Image Credit: AlizadaStudios.
New Hampshire
Deadliest highway: I-93
Fatalities: 19
Second deadliest highway: SR-101
Fatalities: 8
Image Credit: Ultima_Gaina / iStock.
New Jersey
Deadliest highway: I-95
Fatalities: 27
Second deadliest highway: I-78
Fatalities: 18
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
New Mexico
Deadliest highway: I-25
Fatalities: 50
Second deadliest highway: I-40
Fatalities: 50
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
New York
Deadliest highway: I-90
Fatalities: 26
Second deadliest highway: I-81
Fatalities: 20
Image Credit: Frederic Prochasson.
North Carolina
Deadliest highway: I-40
Fatalities: 61
Second deadliest highway: I-85
Fatalities: 50
Image Credit: Sean Pavone / iStock.
North Dakota
Deadliest highway: I-94
Fatalities: 17
Second deadliest highway: US-2
Fatalities: 11
Image Credit: ChrisBoswell.
Ohio
Deadliest highway: I-71
Fatalities: 39
Second deadliest highway: I-75
Fatalities: 31
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Oklahoma
Deadliest highway: I-44
Fatalities: 39
Second deadliest highway: I-40
Fatalities: 34
Image Credit: Tiago_Fernandez.
Oregon
Deadliest highway: I-5
Fatalities: 21
Second deadliest highway: I-84
Fatalities: 20
Image Credit: HaizhanZheng.
Pennsylvania
Deadliest highway: I-81 American Legion Memorial Hwy.
Fatalities: 28
Second deadliest highway: US-30 Lincoln Hwy.
Fatalities: 19
Image Credit: weaver1234.
Rhode Island
Deadliest highway: I-295 S
Fatalities: 7
Second deadliest highway: I-95 S
Fatalities: 6
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
South Carolina
Deadliest highway: US-17
Fatalities: 82
Second deadliest highway: I-26
Fatalities: 51
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
South Dakota
Deadliest highway: I-90 W
Fatalities: 18
Second deadliest highway: I-90 E
Fatalities: 10
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Tennessee
Deadliest highway: I-40
Fatalities: 85
Second deadliest highway: I-24
Fatalities: 39
Image Credit: Dyersburg, Tennessee by Paul Sableman (CC BY).
Texas
Deadliest highway: I-10
Fatalities: 154
Second deadliest highway: I-20
Fatalities: 151
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Utah
Deadliest highway: I-15
Fatalities: 51
Second deadliest highway: US-89
Fatalities: 31
Image Credit: ” 4kodiak”.
Vermont
Deadliest highway: US-7
Fatalities: 9
Second deadliest highway: SR-9
Fatalities: 8
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Virginia
Deadliest highway: US-58
Fatalities: 45
Second deadliest highway: I-95
Fatalities: 44
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Washington
Deadliest highway: I-5
Fatalities: 57
Second deadliest highway: I-90
Fatalities: 36
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
West Virginia
Deadliest highway: I-64
Fatalities: 26
Second deadliest highway: I-79
Fatalities: 22
Image Credit: ” Chayanisa Puttamata”.
Wisconsin
Deadliest highway: US-12
Fatalities: 20
Second deadliest highway: CR-A
Fatalities: 18
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Wyoming
Deadliest highway: I-80
Fatalities: 39
Second deadliest highway: I-25
Fatalities: 16
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
