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The 7 Most Dangerous Intersections in Phoenix, Arizona

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Phoenix is one of the busiest major cities in the Southwest, with wide arterial roads, heavy commuter traffic, and constant growth. With so many vehicles sharing the road daily, intersections become some of the most common places for serious collisions.

Intersections are where everything converges at once—left turns, red-light decisions, crosswalk activity, speeding vehicles, and distracted drivers. That’s why transportation agencies focus so heavily on intersection safety when trying to reduce severe crashes.

If you’re reading this after a wreck or simply trying to stay informed, this is also the type of publicly available crash data a Phoenix auto accident attorney may review when explaining why certain crossroads consistently show up in safety studies.

This article is built using the newest official intersection crash-risk rankings and the most recent collision reporting currently available from public transportation and city safety agencies.


How These Intersections Were Identified

Rather than relying on social media lists or law firm marketing, this article uses two official public approaches:

Regional Intersection Crash Risk Rankings

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) publishes the most comprehensive intersection crash-risk ranking available for the Phoenix metro area. These rankings are based on a weighted model that considers:

  • How often crashes happen

  • How severe the crashes are

  • What types of crashes occur

Crash severity is weighted most heavily, meaning intersections rank higher when serious injuries and high-impact collisions are more common.

Source:https://azmag.gov/Portals/0/Documents/List-Top-100-Intersections-Ranked-by-Crash-Risk-MAG-2018-2022.pdf

City of Phoenix Collision Reporting

Phoenix also publishes official traffic collision summaries using crash reports from Phoenix Police and the statewide ADOT crash database. These reports confirm where collisions continue to concentrate across the city, especially near major intersections.

Source:https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/streetssite/mediaassets/2023%20Citywide%20Summary%20-%20Final.pdf

Together, these sources provide the clearest picture available today of Phoenix’s highest-risk intersections.

Source:https://azmag.gov/Portals/0/Documents/List-Top-100-Intersections-Ranked-by-Crash-Risk-MAG-2018-2022.pdf


The 7 Highest-Risk Intersections in Phoenix

Below are the intersections that rank highest within Phoenix based on the latest published crash-risk scoring.


1. 67th Avenue & McDowell Road

This intersection ranks at the very top of the regional crash-risk list.

It stands out because it combines high crash frequency with elevated crash severity, making it one of the most consistently concerning intersections in the metro area.

Drivers should be especially cautious with sudden stops, heavy turning movements, and late signal entries here.


2. 19th Avenue & Peoria Avenue

This location ranks extremely high even though other intersections may have higher raw crash totals.

That’s because the crash-risk model gives greater weight to severe outcomes, not just minor fender-benders.

This is a strong reminder that “dangerous” often means “more serious crashes,” not simply “more crashes.”


3. 67th Avenue & Thomas Road

67th Avenue appears multiple times near the top of the crash-risk rankings, suggesting broader corridor-level safety concerns.

Intersections like this tend to involve complex turning patterns, high speeds, and heavy traffic volume throughout the day.


4. 67th Avenue & Indian School Road

This intersection has one of the highest crash totals among Phoenix’s top-ranked locations.

High-volume arterials combined with turning conflicts make this a major point of collision concentration.

Drivers should be alert for red-light running, fast lane changes, and pedestrians near the edges of the roadway.

 


5. 83rd Avenue & Indian School Road

Indian School Road is another corridor where multiple high-risk intersections appear.

These patterns reinforce what traffic engineers often see: risk concentrates along major arterials with frequent signals, commercial driveways, and heavy daily exposure.

 


6. Cave Creek Road & Sweetwater Avenue

This intersection is notable because it ranks high despite having fewer overall crashes than some others.

That indicates that when crashes happen here, they are more likely to involve serious injury or higher-impact collision types.

It’s a reminder that severity matters as much as frequency.

 


7. 51st Avenue & Thomas Road

This intersection combines heavy traffic demand with complex signal timing and turning movements.

It consistently ranks among Phoenix’s highest-risk locations and remains a major safety focus point in regional analysis.

 


What Recent Collision Reporting Confirms

Phoenix’s official collision summaries show that intersections remain one of the most common settings for serious crashes citywide.

The city’s reporting draws from Phoenix Police documentation and ADOT’s statewide crash database, reinforcing that intersection collisions are not just historical concerns—they remain an ongoing traffic safety issue.

Source:https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/streetssite/mediaassets/2023%20Citywide%20Summary%20-%20Final.pdf


Why Intersections Are So Crash-Prone in Arizona

Statewide crash reporting from ADOT consistently highlights common driver-related factors such as:

  • Speed too fast for conditions

  • Failure to yield right-of-way

  • Disregarding traffic signals

These behaviors are especially dangerous at signalized intersections where cross traffic and turning movements create high-impact conflict points.

Source:https://azdot.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/2023-Crash-Facts_0.pdf


Phoenix’s Current Safety Strategy: High Injury Network and Vision Zero

Phoenix uses a High Injury Network approach to identify where fatal and serious injury crashes concentrate most heavily.

The city’s Road Safety Action Plan outlines ongoing strategies to reduce severe crashes through engineering improvements, better street design, and data-based prioritization.

Source:https://www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/streets/safety-improvements/road-safety-action-plan.html

Source:https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/streetssite/documents/safety-resources/PHXRSAP_2024AnnualReport_Final_reduced%20%282%29.pdf


Practical Safety Tips for Driving Through High-Risk Intersections

Even in the busiest parts of Phoenix, drivers can reduce risk by practicing simple habits:

  • Slow down early when approaching major signals

  • Avoid accelerating aggressively through yellow lights

  • Pause briefly before entering on a fresh green

  • Be cautious with left turns across fast-moving lanes

  • Watch for pedestrians even when traffic feels dominant

These are the kinds of everyday behaviors that help prevent the crashes that often lead to serious injuries—and later involve insurance disputes or a  accident lawyer in Phoenix review.


Final Note: The Most Reliable Data Available Today

The intersections listed above come from the newest official crash-risk ranking available for Phoenix, supported by the most recent city collision reporting and statewide crash trend data.

While no dataset can predict every crash, these public sources provide the strongest factual foundation currently available for understanding where intersection risk concentrates most heavily in Phoenix.


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