Jennie Runevitch/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - They're deemed the most dangerous for drivers: intersections you may go through every day that made a dubious list put out by the Indiana Department of Transportation.
The 2009 Five Percent Report, required by law, outlines areas with the highest crash rates, using data over the past three years.
"We analyze crash statistics from around the state and we focus our efforts on injury and fatality crashes," explained INDOT spokesperson Will Wingfield.
Locally, the worst state road intersections are US 31 and 116th Street in Hamilton County, US 40 and Mitthoeffer in Marion County, and US 31 and Whiteland Road in Johnson County.
When it comes to local intersections, Marion County's worst include 79th and Michigan, 86th and Michigan, Southport and Emerson, 56th and Georgetown, and 38th and Lafayette.
Those five spots account for 143 crashes that caused injury or death. INDOT says the roads will get safety reviews to reduce the danger.
"We will analyze the intersection and determine where engineering, enforcement or education are needed to reduce the instances of crashes. For example, would an intersection improvement benefit, adding of a guardrail, maybe cable safety barrier," Wingfield said. "It's more focused on where can the tax money that we have available really benefit the most people and save the most lives."
INDOT points to an intersection on the east side of Indianapolis as one of its success stories. Franklin and Pendleton Pike used to be one of the most dangerous. But now, after road improvements, it's no longer on the list.
Several on this year's list, including many near I-465 on the west side, just finished or are slated for improvements too.
INDOT says that's the point of the report: identify hazardous areas, in hopes that next year, your drive is a little safer.
"Safety is INDOT's top priority, as it is other engineering agencies, and this report allows us to do that job better," Wingfield said.
Between Major Moves money and federal stimulus dollars, INDOT says it can tackle more road projects than in the past.
Overall, state highway crashes actually are at their lowest levels since the Great Depression.
Read the report
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WTHR. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
